Envious
by TaylaNovak
Summary: Envy is a terrible cross to bear. DragonQueen with past Outlawqueen and Swanqueen.
1. Chapter 1

Regina could feel her eyes on her. She could feel her gaze caressing her body. Eyes that stare right through you, that would entrap you if you weren't careful. She rolled over, swimming on her back now. In the dark of night, with no moon, most would think she was crazy to be doing this and she was a little inclined to agree. But she knew that her watcher didn't need the moon to see in the dark. She dove beneath the surface, swimming gracefully through the darkened depths. She could hardly see, but she knew she was there. The shadows suddenly moved and she went still, holding her breath as the great eyes opened and their shine illuminated the massive dragon hidden in the dark water. She smiled and rose to the surface to take a breath before diving again, paddling through the water with said dragon following her every move, never too far away but never allowing them to touch. Bright golden eyes almost burned holes in her skin, but it only made her shudder with pleasure to have this magnificent creature so transfixed on her.

After a little while she swam back to the shore and climbed out of the water. She took her time walking over to her clothes and grabbed her towel to dry herself off. There was a soft splash behind her and she turned around to face Maleficent as the dragon sauntered towards her. She was completely dry and dressed in black jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. A smirk was on her lips as she circled Regina, again taking in the former queen with her eyes, like a predator stalking its prey. She didn't have to say a word.

"I have to go, dear." Regina said softly. "I have a late dinner with the Charmings." Mal didn't reply, just licked her lips as she watched Regina dry off. Again, she took her time, even bending over directly in front of the dragon to reach her feet. The soft purr that came from her companion brought a smile to her lips. She looked around and reached for her clothes. The dragon growled and gently took her clothes from her and instead handed her her long coat. Nothing else. "Mal, you can't be serious. My son is going to be at this dinner." The dragon tilted her head, still smirking. She held out her hand and Regina took it, smiling when the dragon spun her around until her back was pressed against the blonde's front. Mal purred and a sigh escaped the brunette's lips, feeling the heat generated by the dragon against the chill in the air. Long manicured fingers slid between her thighs, burning a mark very close to a certain sensitive area. Regina bit her lip, knowing what the dragon had planned for tonight. "If I do this, then I get you?"

"Maybe." Mal touched her neck, burning a second mark there. These marks were special. They were like hickeys to humans but to a dragon, it was like signing your signature on a billion dollar lottery ticket or carving your name into a hunk of gold. This mark showed the world who Regina Mills belonged to.

"Are you going to be watching me?" Regina asked, feeling an excited tingle pass through her. She didn't know why but Mal had a certain control over her and the blonde exercised this control almost at all times. If there was a line, it needed to be crossed. If Regina had a limit, Mal would break it. It had always been this way and ever since her return, Mal was exerting that power more and more. Especially with Regina's former lovers not taking the hint that she unavailable. She and Mal weren't exactly public with their relationship, but one would think that threatening to shoot someone would be a perfect hint that she didn't want them.

"Always." Mal kissed her cheek before bending down and picking up her heels and handing them to her and taking her clothes as she teleported away. Regina could always conjure more clothes, but that would ruin the game and she was already up by 1 by skinny dipping in the lake. If she played her cards right, she could have a wonderful gift waiting for her tonight. She quickly put on her coat and buttoned it up, making sure her nakedness wasn't visible and strapped on her heels. Hopefully Mal took it easy with Henry at the dinner. She scoffed to herself as soon as she had the thought.

 _Regina: 1_

 _Mal: 0_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma looked up and smiled as soon as Regina walked through the diner doors. She was wearing one of her long black coats and a simple pair of black heels with makeup perfectly applied as always, but there was something different about her now. Ever since her latest break up with Robin, she seemed more...relaxed. Even more self-assured and seductive with every little movement she made. And Emma couldn't help but watch every movement… The truth was, she and Regina had dated at one point as well. It lasted all of 2 months before Regina just suddenly broke it off, with no warning and hardly an explanation, and Emma wanted one. No matter what she did, Regina would hardly speak to her and if even a mention of their past relationship was brought up, she would quickly change the subject or end conversation altogether.

"Hello, Regina." Snow greeted the former queen cheerfully as she took a seat next to Henry.

"Hello, Charmings. Emma." Regina ruffled Henry's hair as she took her seat. Ruby came over to take their order. Emma ordered a simple burger and fries and to her surprise, Regina ordered a slice of angel food cake and a bowl of ice cream.

"Not too hungry?" Ruby asked, taking their menus.

Regina looked up and shook her head. "I ate a little earlier." She reached up and ran her hand through her hair, discretely tapping the side of her neck. Emma caught the motion and noticed the dark mark on the side of Regina's throat. Ruby gave a subtle nod and quickly went to place their order.

"What happened to your neck?"

Regina looked at her and smirked. "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you." She turned to Henry. "So, how is school?"

He shrugged. "Okay."

"Did you do your homework?"

He smiled. "Of course, Mom."

"Just making sure." Regina raised her hands in surrender.

"You cold?" Emma asked, gesturing to the brunette still wearing her coat.

"A little, yes." Regina shrugged, rubbing her fingertips down the buttons to see if they were all closed.

The bell on the door rang, signaling the arrival of patrons to the diner. Three women walked through the door. Maleficent lead the way, dressed in black jeans and a black shirt that might as well as have been painted on and tall matching stilettos. The Dragon Queen, the Great Beast, Evilest of Them All. Lily followed in blue jeans and a blood red blouse. The Dragon Princess, the Black Knight and the self proclaimed Anti-Savior. Last but not least was Zelena in a form fitting olive green dress. The Wicked Witch of the West, the Emerald Empress and the breaker of a law of magic. All three of these women now made up the new and improved Queens of Darkness. With Cruella dead and Ursula gone, Lily and Zelena stepped into their places and with Maleficent at the head, there was nothing preventing them from doing anything they wanted. They commandeered Jefferson's mansion on its hill and Maleficent laid claim to a section of the forest. With near limitless magic and limitless money, they were known for having street races, throwing parties, doing whatever they could to piss off Storybrooke and its protectors. Emma and David were always on guard for fear of what they might do. Luckily, Mal and Zelena didn't really seem to care about Storybrooke or its people, usually preferring to ignore any problems that arose. Lily was not. She was quite the opposite in fact. Always and forever ready to fight, she was always the troublemaker, but there wasn't much the sheriffs could do to reprimand her. The Charming family was in power, but they were far from being the most powerful.

Emma couldn't help glaring at the trio as they strutted by and took a seat in a booth. She turned back to Regina to find her watching them too. Eventually she started texting on her phone. Lily skipped over and wrapped her arms around Regina's neck, kissing the top of her head and whispered something into her other mother's ear before making her way back to Mal and Zelena.

/

Regina smirked to herself, feeling Mal's eyes stray to her every few minutes or so. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down.

 **Tell the savior to stop staring at what's mine.**

Regina glanced up and she noticed Emma quickly look away. She looked over Mal, who was smirking as she talked to Zelena. **No**. She texted back with a grin. She turned to Emma. "So, Emma, how've you been?"

"Okay." Emma shrugged. "You?"

"Yeah...just bored." She almost snorted when Mal's head snapped around. "Nothing really interesting happening."

"Well maybe we could do something interesting someday."

"Sure. Name the time and place." Regina smirked. Her phone buzzed and she looked down at the text, bursting out laughing as she did so. **Regina, stop adding fuel to the fire. If that bitch touches you, I will murder the both of you!**

"Can I talk to you later too? Privately?" Emma asked.

"Okay…" Regina frowned. "Why? Is it about…" She nodded towards Henry and Emma shook her head. "Okay, well then I don't see a problem with that. Come to the mansion for a drink later." Her phone buzzed again. **Do you enjoy playing with fire?**

Regina smirked. **I do.**

 **Bathroom. Now.**

She glanced up at Mal and smirked again. **No.** She turned to the conversation at the table and ignored her phone whenever it rang again. Ruby returned with their food.

"She's getting mad." The werewolf mouthed to her and she shrugged. She was already sitting nearly naked and cold because of the woman. Not that she really minded. It was even a bit thrilling, but her world did not revolve around Maleficent and her desires. Who was she kidding, of course it did. And it was a glorious world. She offered Emma a piece of cake and fed it to her. When she started eating ice cream, well...several pairs of eyes locked onto her, and stayed there. Only one mattered though. The intensity of Mal's gaze made her quiver.

 **Bathroom.** The dragon texted again. When Regina only giggled and didn't reply, she felt her marks start to tingle and her head snapped to look at Mal. Mal bore a powerful connection to her marks and she had the ability to 'activate' them with simple motions of her hands. The blonde rubbed her fingers together and the action sent a shock through Regina's body. She grabbed the table and clenched her legs as the mark on her thigh sent shockwaves directly to her clit. She swallowed and attempted to steel herself against the dragon's manipulations. She met Mal's eyes defiantly and the blonde smiled, as though impressed. Impressed, but not pleased. She rubbed her hands together, all the while having a conversation with Zelena and Lily, her eyes never straying far from Regina. She took two of her fingers and curled them tightly and Regina silently cursed under her breath, struggling to keep her composure. With the mark she could almost feel Mal's fingers inside of her, thrusting deep, a pleasure demanding to be felt.

"Regina, you okay?" Emma asked.

"Just fine. Deep in thought." Regina lied quickly. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She was wet, dripping, aching for more. Mal noticed and started moving her fingers and Regina almost lost her mind. The blonde took it up a notch. She snapped her fingers…

Regina immediately teleported to the bathroom and locked the door before her orgasm forced her to her knees. It left her gasping and leaning against the wall, aching to feel that rush of pleasure. Mal appeared across the room, casually walking along the row of stalls, throwing open the doors to see if anyone else was in. Luckily, no one was. "You bitch."

"I don't like to be ignored." Mal replied with a smirk. Regina got back to her feet and her coat suddenly undid itself. Mal started purring hard, sounding like a happy cat that had swallowed a vibrator. It was an excited purr and she was sure that anyone walking by the door could hear it and might be able to guess what it was.

"Mal, we can't do this here." Regina whispered.

"I can do whatever I want." Mal replied.

"Mal, please-"

"I should have mercy after that display in there? Flirting with the savior, when you know she desires you. Offering her a drink, at my house?"

" **Your** house?"

"What's yours is mine, just like you are. You know that." Maleficent growled, pressing her against the wall using her own body. "Now, what should I do with you?"

"Fuck me?" Regina suggested. Mal arched an eyebrow, a low growl rumbling out of her throat and just that sound, that animalistic, that primal sound, it made Regina wetter than she had ever been in her life. "Do whatever you want to me." Regina pleaded.

"Tell the savior and the thief exactly why you ended it with both of them. Tomorrow night at your office."

"Yes ma'am." Regina said softly. Mal's lips crashed against hers, her fingers moving to tease open the former queen's folds. She suddenly shoved three fingers into her lover, knocking the wind out of her.

"I love you." The dragon whispered.

Regina smiled through the haze of pleasure. "I love you too."

 _Regina: 2_

 _Mal: 1_

/

When Regina returned to the table she was glowing, as was the strange mark on the side of her neck. She seemed giddy for no reason and could hardly sit down.

"Regina, you okay?" Emma asked.

"Perfectly so." Regina beamed. "I actually have to go, but we can talk tomorrow night in my office." She placed her money on the table and teleported away.

Regina returned home and shrugged out of her coat and shoes and sprinted upstairs for a shower and change of clothes. She put on her most scandalous set of dark purple lingerie and put on a robe. Next step was to put up the mirrors. She needed at least 2 dozen, situated at various points in the house and most importantly, her room, with the final piece de resistance being a large one on the ceiling over the bed. She checked her creation for any flaws before deciding that it was perfect. She walked over to the window and closed the curtains. She checked all the doors to make sure they were locked.

Walking into the living room, Mal winked into existence in the floor length mirror next to her. A smile touched her lips at how relaxed the dragon appeared, lounging in a set of lingerie of her own next to a roaring fireplace. There was absolutely nothing more beautiful than this stunning creature.

"What did you want tonight, Mal?" Regina asked.

"Do you remember when you were a young queen, and you used to dance all over the castle?" Regina blushed and nodded. "Dance for me again."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, my love."

Regina couldn't help smiling at her words. Being called Maleficent's love, it was everything she had ever wanted. It made her heart skip and her breath shaky just to hear endearments from those amazing felt small and insignificant next to her lover, but out of every other person in the world that Mal could've chosen, she chose Regina. She always chose Regina, without a doubt, without hesitation, without fear.

"Something wrong?" Mal asked.

"No." Regina smiled. "I just like it with you say things like that."

"What, that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen? The strongest soul I have ever encountered? The love of my life. You like that?"

"I love it."

Maleficent smiled. "Good, then you shall hear it every second of every day for the rest of your life. I love you, Regina Mills, and there is no power ever conceived that will ever change that." She watched the blushing mush of a queen in front of her and she smiled again. "Dance for me, Regina." She waved her hand and music started to play. Regina undid her robe and let it slide off her shoulders to the floor. She did a small twirl for her audience and proceeded to dance for her queen. She never was the best dancer but that didn't stop her from enjoying it and Mal had always enjoyed watching her. She moved with the pace of the music, spinning around the room, climbing on top of furniture. Mal laughed and chuckled at the sight before she changed the music with another gesture. It slowed down and became more sensual. So did Regina. Her wild and carefree dance became...provocative. Inviting. Teasing the dragon watching through the mirror. Her mirrors allowed Mal to see everything from every angle and by the dragon's growing purrs, she knew Mal was enjoying every second of her dance. She climbed the stairs and returned to her bedroom, finishing with a twirl in front of one of her floor length mirrors. "Gorgeous. Too gorgeous. Take it off."

Regina obeyed as she climbed on the bed and unhooked her bra. She rolled onto her back and slid out of her panties, tossing them over her shoulder. Mal switched to the mirror closest to the bed and Regina quickly rolled to face her. She grinned as she flexed for her lover, showing off every inch of the body that she loved. Mal bit her lip, watching Regina's show.

"You can look and touch, Mal."

"Not tonight, dear." Mal chuckled. She made a turning motion with her finger and Regina obeyed again, rolling onto her back.

"Do you want me to-"

"No, not tonight. Just a dance. I have a surprise for you tomorrow and I want you ready."

Regina scoffed and as she slid her hand down between her legs, teasing her entrance. "I may not be a dragon, but it's not going to take me a day to recover from two orgasms. By the way, I should have 4 points after tonight."

Mal shook her head. "3."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Cheater." Mal silently watched Regina pleasure herself, purring softly. This goddess of a woman baring herself before the Dragon Queen, not afraid to defy her, not afraid to please her. It was almost too much. To know that this woman was hers. Hers and hers alone, as she had always been and was always meant to be. She adored this little game of theirs, but her love for Regina was no game at all. In fact, it was about to become more serious than ever. The dragon switched to the overhead mirror as Regina reached her orgasm. Her eyes squeezed shut, chest heaved, legs clenched tightly. She fisted the sheets beside her and she arched her back, contorting herself so hard that Mal thought she might break in half. After a few moments, Regina started to come back down, her body slowly relaxing with a few small spasms here and there.

"Gorgeous." Mal said.

Regina smiled and blew her a kiss. "Good night, Mal."

"Good night, Regina."

 _Regina: 3_

 _Mal: 1_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Read and Review!

Usual disclaimers, blah, blah...etc.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mal." Regina said softly, laying on her office desk.

"Hmm?" The dragon asked, her voice slightly altered feeding through the speaker on Regina's phone.

"Am I the only person you like to watch?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why would I want to look at anyone else but you?"

Regina smiled. "I mean like last night. And the many nights before. Are you a voyeur then?"

"I don't believe so. You are the only person to interest me. Everyone else is irrelevant." Regina frowned, hearing shuffling in the background.

"What are you up to?"

"Your surprise."

"Can I get it early?" She asked hopefully.

"No."

She sighed and rolled off her desk to the floor and sat down. "Mal, what are you doing to me?"

"Nothing at the moment?"

"You make me feel like a lovestruck teenager." Regina said. Mal chuckled softly. "I get all excited when I think about you and I don't act like myself. I hate it and I love it at the same time." She sighed and crossed her legs. "Can we cuddle tonight?"

"Tomorrow. Tonight you must speak to your exes, then I will fuck your brains out and you will be too tired to cuddle. So tomorrow, that is all we will do. "

Regina smiled. "Okay. I have to go and actually do some work, but I'll call you when I get off." The dragon simply purred in response before hanging up. She sighed as she got to work keeping this irritating town from imploding on itself. All she really wanted was to be home with Mal right now. The blonde was always on her mind now and the last thing she wanted to be doing was reading documents. After an hour of unproductiveness and daydreaming about Mal's legs, she decided to take a lunch break and go home for a nap. When she arrived, she was met with the sight of Emma pulling up to her house.

"Hey Regina, can we talk?" The blonde asked, swiftly exiting her car.

Regina paused in the driveway. "About?"

"Us." Emma replied. Regina rolled her eyes and made for her front door. "Regina, look, the least you can give me is an explanation."

"I met someone else." Regina answered.

"Who? Maleficent?"

The brunette immediately frowned. "Why would you think that?"

"Because your little friend paid me a visit not long after she got back."

/

 _It was after a near perfect date and Emma had just said good night to Regina. She walked down to her car and the Dragon Queen herself appeared next to the car. She looked immaculate as always, but there was something about her eyes. They were glowing bright gold and she could almost read every emotion within them._

" _What do you want?"_

" _Regina." The dragon replied instantly._

 _Emma scoffed. "Look, I get you and her might've had a thing back in the Enchanted Forest, but…" She smiled. "Come on, Regina's moved on. And I can make her happy-"_

 _Maleficent growled deeply and she frowned a little, feeling the wave of arrogance flowing off of the older woman. "Regina is mine, as she has always been and always will be. You really think you're worthy of her? You honestly believe that you can handle a woman like that? A woman who has been on the receiving end of you and your family's stupidity for decades? Foolish child." She started laughing and stepped back. "Alright, Savior. I just want you to know that I have every intention of taking Regina from you and her leaving you is inevitable."_

" _Is that right?" Emma scowled. "You have a lot of balls to even think you can take Regina from me."_

" _She's already mine. Her heart, her body. Every moment she is with you, she is wishing you were me. After all, I am her first taste of blonde and...you never forget your first. Especially when it's me." The dragon smirked._

" _You sound very sure of that." Emma said, fighting the urge to punch the dragon in the face._

" _I'm quite positive as a matter of fact." Mal smiled. "I'm going to steal your girl, Emma. I just wanted to warn you beforehand." She teleported away with a flourish and left Emma standing in the dark. Regina broke up with her a week later, despite her doing everything possible to try and ensure that didn't happen. As far as she knew Regina had not gotten back together with Robin and after a quick conversation with the irritating man, she found that Mal had given him a similar message as well._

/

"Is it true?" Emma demanded.

Regina scowled. "Leave me alone, Emma. What I do and who I see is none of your business." She reached for the front door and Emma grabbed her arm, a bit roughly and she quickly turned around, wrenching her arm free. "What, Emma?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Emma said softly. "Please, give me another chance-"

"No." Regina walked into the house and slammed the door.

Emma sighed and stepped off the porch, running her fingers through her hair. "Damn it."

Regina let out a huff and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She was so irritated thinking about Emma Swan that she almost missed the black rose petals littering the floor...forming a trail. She put down the glass and glanced around suspiciously. Careful not to make a sound, she followed the trail of petals up the stairs and to her bedroom. She pushed open the door and her jaw hit the floor. More petals were all over the room, black and red. Candles were on the dresser and vanity and the windows had been blacked out so the candles provided the only light. Laying on her bed was Mal. Blindfolded and handcuffed to her headboard, the dragon was completely naked and seemed to be awake. "Mal?"

The dragon purred. "Finally you get here."

"What is this?" Regina asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. She bit her lip, eyes tracing every flawless inch of the dragon.

"Your gift." Mal replied. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Regina almost fell as she tore off her clothes and climbed onto the bed. She gently opened Mal's legs and her mouth started to water. "Fuck, Mal. You're too beautiful." It was if the gods had taken extra time the day they created Maleficent, just to perfect everything about her. The dragon was indeed perfection...and she belonged to Regina.

Mal chuckled softly. "Go ahead. Fuck Mal."

"Um, any rules?"

"None. Enjoy your present."

Regina crawled forward and kissed her lips. "Okay, let me know if I go a little overboard." She was literally shaking with anticipation. Thank the gods for Mal coming back alive.

"I can take it, dear." Maleficent purred.

 _Regina: 3_

 _Mal: 2_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night Regina was waiting in her office for her lover to arrive. She had no idea why Mal wanted to talk to Emma and Robin, or why she gave explicit directions on what Regina should wear for the meeting. She was nervous. Mal was known for playing these games. Which reminded her that she needed to start thinking of ways to gain more points to win the game. They hadn't talked about a prize yet but one could only imagine what it would entail.

She looked up when she heard purring. Mal appeared in her office chair, completely comfortable and dressed in a tight black dress that barely stopped mid thigh. Regina scowled at it. "That dress is hardly appropriate for anyone else to be seeing you in." Mal simply purred harder, sounding like a small engine at this point. Regina silently wondered if she ever got tired of purring, because she certainly did it a lot more often nowadays. The dragon spun around in her chair, wearing the power it projected with ease. Any chair that Mal sat in became a throne.

"Tomorrow, we're leaving town for a couple weeks." The dragon said, picking her up and placing her on the desk and sliding as close as possible in the chair.

"Are we?"

"Indeed. I'm going to treat you. We're going to go shopping and I am going to buy you a thousand gifts. We will stay at the best hotel and make love all night long. Eat at the finest restaurants, go to the theater, to an amusement park, go ice skating, anything and everything." Maleficent said.

"Why?" Regina asked.

"I sit upon a mountain of wealth and it is in my nature to hoard it and keep it, but truthfully I wouldn't even make a dent if I spent money for the next hundred years. Besides, I can't think of a better reason for spending every piece of gold I have than to make you happy."

Regina smiled. "Stop it, you're making me blush." She kissed the dragon's lips, wondering how she ever managed to deserve such a woman.

"I want you to move in with me as well."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Besides, Ruby and Belle have already moved in. Just waiting on you." Mal smiled uncertainly, almost as if she wasn't sure if Regina would agree. The brunette slid into Mal's lap and kissed her cheek.

"Wherever you are, Maleficent, is exactly where I want to be." Mal started purring again and nuzzled her neck.

The doors of her office suddenly burst open and Emma and Robin stormed inside, both looking pissed. "Fuck you, you dull, idiotic, waste of a man!" Emma scowled.

"Says the orphan princess."

Emma whipped around with her gun at his head. "You really think she likes you more than me? You abandoned her for your just as boring wife!"

"Who you brought back." Robin replied.

"You know, if it weren't for that soulmate bullshit you wouldn't even be able to be put in the same sentence as Regina. Pixie dust must've made the fuck up of a lifetime by claiming you were the best match for Regina Mills. And the fact that you actually believe that you are is astounding."

"The fact that you, the child of her most hated enemies, the woman who stole her son, actually thinks that you're better than me? Ha!"

"Children!" Regina called, gaining their attention. "Calm yourselves, I hate you both equally." She waved them forward and Emma reluctantly sheathed her weapon. "Now, I honestly don't really want to see or speak to either one of you, possibly ever again, but clearly I need to make something crystal between us. I don't want to be with either one of you. Unless it involves Henry or Roland, then we have nothing to ever speak about again. I found someone, who in competition, you two really just don't compare."

"She means me." Mal smirked. "Regina, up." Regina stood up and the dragon rose to her feet before meeting the eyes of her lover. "Remove your dress." Her gaze darkened and her voice followed. Her tone left little room for defiance. Regina reached back and unzipped the back of her stimple blue dress and let it fall, pooling around her feet. Beneath it she was wearing a set of black and red lingerie. It was one of Mal's favorites. Emma and Robin were staring at her, but she wasn't very modest, just curious. "Look at her." The dragon purred, giving Regina a twirl. "Look at this vision of perfection. Take a long look...at what's mine." She stepped in front of Regina and glared down both of her former suitors with no fear. "Regina has moved on and there is nothing you can do to make her change her mind. Neither of you are worthy, neither of you would even know what to do with a woman like this. She's mine now and if you ever try to make a move on her again, I'll burn you alive."

Regina smirked when Mal's purring turned into a deep throated growl. "That's all you wanted, isn't it?"

"Damn right it was." Mal didn't turn away from Emma or Robin and neither seemed to find the courage to challenge her. "Am I clear about the both of you staying away from my woman?"

"Yes." Robin said through gritted teeth. For a moment Regina thought he might try his luck, but he held his tongue.

Emma leaned forward on the desk, meeting Mal's eyes. "She's not your property and I'm not afraid of you."

Maleficent laughed derisively. "Robin, how does it feel to be in a room full of women who have bigger balls than you." She leaned forward on the desk as well and smirked. "You should be afraid, Miss Swan, and Regina isn't my property but that doesn't change the fact that you will never have her. Understand?" Emma glanced at Regina, who was busy watching Mal and restraining herself from throwing the dragon on the ground and having her way with her right then. "Regina."

"Hmm?"

"I'm about to tie up the score." Mal stood up and kissed her lips before she moved behind Regina, roughly pushing her forward until she was bent over in front of her. With a snap of her fingers, they were teleported to Regina's bedroom and the dragon ripped off her lingerie. She used one hand to flip Regina onto the bed and the other to remove her clothes.

"Mal, wait-" Regina attempted to roll over and Mal stopped her with a strong hand on her thigh. She had buried her head between the brunette's legs before she could stop her. "Gods, never mind." She could hear Mal chuckling softly, but her tongue made her forget everything else.

 _Regina: 3_

 _Mal: 3_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma walked home in the dark, shaking with rage. That stupid, fucking dragon! She did exactly what she said she was going to do and took Regina from her. She paced on the sidewalk next to the town hall and absently scratched at her arm. "That fucking bitch!" Cocky, arrogant, irritating bitch! She wanted to kill Maleficent and Robin just for the hell of it. Regina should've been hers. She and Henry and Regina, that was it. That was all she wanted, all she needed, but Maleficent had to get in the way.

"Emma?" She looked up at Mulan, who approached her cautiously. "You okay?"

Emma nodded, scratching at her arm again. "I'm fine. Just uh…"

"Is it about Regina?" The warrioress asked.

The blonde frowned. "How did you know that?"

Mulan shrugged. "Pretty much anyone can see how much you care about her, but she's been meeting the dragon for months. I thought you knew or I might've told you."

"Months?" Emma sighed. "Stupid dragon stole my girlfriend. Told me she would."

"Sorry to hear that. Is your arm okay?"

"No, I feel like ripping it off! Why is it itching so much-" She yanked up her sleeve and froze. There was a green spot on her wrist...that was slowly expanding.

"Someone's envious." Mulan commented.

/

It was the next morning when Maleficent went on an early morning flight with Lily before Regina woke up. Happiness gave lift to her wings as she soared over the forest with her daughter just behind her. They would be leaving that evening for the next 2 weeks. 2 whole weeks of no idiots, no suitors, no heroes and most importantly: no dwarves. Dwarves irritated her to no end. She had great plans for treating her lover like the queen she was and eventually, asking her to be her mate. She wanted everything to be perfect because as soon as they came back, Regina would be moving in with the rest of the Queens and their lovers as well. But she was thinking too far ahead, hoping for too much. Step 1 was their little vacation and making sure everything went well.

She flapped her wings, carrying herself high over the northern ridge of the forests, when something caught her eye. It was bright and flashed in the morning sun like rays bouncing off a shiny object. She turned her head to try and get a better look and the light suddenly exploded almost, completely blinding her. The world went white and she threw out her wings wide to try and hover as she covered her eyes with her paws when something hit her. Small and sharp it managed to hit her directly in the one weak spot she had, right where her left wing met her back. Lily roared as she spiraled to the ground but Mal was blind, unable to see her own descent, slamming into the trees at breakneck speed. She could hardly move afterwards.

From their vantage point a couple hundred yards away, Robin watched the dragon fall out of the sky and slowly lowered his bow. He removed his arm guard and hooked to his quiver. By now his entire forearm was completely green, covered in the same affliction that once made Zelena wicked. Green with envy. He couldn't envy Maleficent when Regina should've been his. He was her soulmate after all! He took a deep breath to calm himself down and made his way back to camp before anyone knew he was gone.

 _Robin: 1_

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A/N: I should probably stop writing new stories. Sorry, but I can't. Writing completely new stories helps with writer's block and this is what came out today. Don't worry, there will be more updates pouring out soon. Love you all, dearies.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina rushed into the hospital as fast as she could. She found her sister and Lily pacing the waiting room while Belle and Ruby sat in chairs nearby anxiously tapping or shaking their leg while they waited for news. Lily almost burst into tears when she showed up and quickly ran into her arms. "What happened?"

"We were out having a morning flight and someone shot mom down." Lily answered, taking a step back and hastily wiping her eyes.

There were simply no words to describe Regina's instant shift from worried to enraged in the span of 2 seconds. She remained calm so her already panicking daughter wouldn't lose her mind any further. Ruby quickly came to her side and nuzzled Lily's neck until the dragoness was no longer hyperventilating. "Tell us what happened. Slower."

Lily nodded. "We were just flying, like we usually do in the mornings. We went over the northern ridge and Mom stopped."

"Stopped?" Regina frowned. "Completely?"

"She was in front of me and there was a flash but she blocked most of it. I couldn't see what caused it. She was trying to cover her eyes and then she just fell."

"She must've tried to hover. It would've slowed her down." Regina surmised.

"Someone blinded her then." Ruby said. "But how could they pierce her scales?"

"It depends on what she was shot with and where she was hit. Something hard enough with enough force could hit her weak spot. It's the tiny place where her wings meet her back. There are no scales there." Regina answered. "I guess we have to wait for the doctors to figure out anything else." They returned to the others and sat down, waiting for almost an hour before they were approached by a man named Carter, Regina's personal healer from her Evil Queen days and now her primary physician. Carter was a tall, handsome man with thick salt and pepper colored hair and formerly a citizen of Camelot before he was employed by the Evil Queen.

"My queen." He saluted with a small bow and she dipped her head in reply. "Follow me."

"Is Mal okay?" Regina asked.

"Yes, we had to perform emergency surgery."

"What?!" Lily almost yelled.

Carter glanced around and continued to Mal's room, letting them enter first before stepping in and closing the door. Mal was still anesthetized and would probably be out for some time. It probably took a truckload of anesthesia to put down a dragon. Carter pulled over a small table and lifted out what looked like a steel arrow shaft without the arrowhead. "We found this in her armpit, sticking out of her shoulder. Had to use bolt cutters to get the damn thing out."

"Were there any identifying marks?" She asked.

"No, but the metal is old, rusted, must've been made a long time ago. Anyways, the arrowhead broke apart when it entered under Maleficent's arm. That's why we performed the surgery. We managed to remove all the pieces."

"It hit a bone?" Regina asked, looking at her lover.

"Normally you would think that, but no-"

"It was made to break apart." Belle said. "Cause maximum damage." All eyes turned to her. "I read it in a book once."

"Did it say anything else?" Regina pressed.

"Just that it wasn't a common thing. The arrows usually have to be specifically asked for. Most weaponsmiths don't make them on a regular basis. I could try to find the book again."

Regina nodded and turned back to Carter. "Check for any poison please."

"We already took a blood sample. I rushed it for you."

"Thank you." She pulled up a chair next to Mal and sat down. She wasn't going anywhere until her lover was okay. The rest of the Queens sat down to wait as well.

"Should we go commission the idiots to find who did this?" Zelena asked.

"I'll go." Ruby volunteered. "Probably get better results."

"No, send them first in case the maniac is still out there." Lily growled. "Can't you guys use a locator spell or something to find who it belongs to?" She aske dher aunt.

"No." Zelena said. "It was an arrow which most likely means it was Robin or one of his Merry Men who did this, all of whom are thieves, meaning that arrow might not actually belong to any of them. The locator spell would be ineffective and could lead us to anyone."

"Don't worry, Lily." Ruby whispered to her lover. "We'll catch the son of a bitch."

Regina sighed and leaned forward, laying her head on Mal's stomach, listening to her deep breathing. To her surprise the dragon started purring. "I'm here, Mal. I'm not going anywhere."

/

A few hours later, Regina felt fingers running through her hair. She quickly sat up but Mal put a finger to her lips, gesturing to where the others were asleep in hard backed chairs, unwilling to leave their leader and friend. She let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her head against Mal's hand in an almost catlike gesture as the dragon continued to caress her hair, silently reaffirming their bond in the simplest touch. "I was worried."

"About me? Nonsense." Mal purred.

"We're going to find who did this. I already have an idea who."

"The thief? Can he make a shot like that?"

"Doesn't matter. His bow is enchanted so he can't miss." Regina kissed her hand. "I'll rip him limb from limb."

"After our vacation."

"What? Mal-"

"In another hour, I will be completely healed and I will want you waiting for me in your bed, naked and covered in honey. After that, we will need to be going or we will miss all of our reservations. Besides, the thief isn't going anywhere and you can best believe he will pay for this. Now, run along."

"But-" Maleficent growled and Regina closed her mouth quickly. The dragon motioned her closer and she quickly complied, smiling when Mal kissed her lips.

"Worry no longer, my little queen. Everything will be fine." Mal kissed her again. "Go." Regina was a little annoyed at being sent away, but she trusted her dragon. Mal probably had something up her sleeve anyway... Still, she tried to argue but a firm growl from Mal shut her up quickly.

"You know, I'm getting tired of you commanding me all the time." She scoffed. Mal's growling turned into purring as she sat up and tore off the machines attached to her. Her clothes changed into jeans and a long sleeved purple shirt. She hopped off the bed and made her way over to the others, sliding into Lily's lap. Their daughter snapped awake and threw her arms around Mal's neck, waking up the rest of them. Mal laughed and purred as she was assaulted with hugs and kisses. Regina smiled as she turned to leave and do as her dragon wanted, but not without making a detour. She arrived at the sheriff station only minutes later and found Emma playing darts and David reading a magazine. She rolled her eyes before clearing her throat, attracting their attention. The smile that lit up Emma's face almost made her scowl. It was a little creepy after seeing how angry she was when she left the office the other night.

"Hey Regina, anything you need?" She asked cheerfully, absently scratching at her arm.

"Yes, someone shot Maleficent out of the sky and I need you to find out who." She answered. Emma's smile dropped slightly and she looked down.

"Why should we care?" David asked.

Regina turned to face him, snatching the magazine out of his hands and incinerating it in her palm. "David Nolan, I could snap you like a twig. I can break your neck with a flick of my wrist and set you ablaze with barely a thought. But I haven't. Why is that?" She stepped forward and looked him directly in the eye. "It's only because of Henry. Because you are his grandfather. That is all! Otherwise, I would rip your heart out and make Snow eat it. Now, Mal, does not care. She doesn't, at all. If you want to act like an ass, then fine, but do know that you are making an enemy of me, the Dragon Queen and the Queens of Darkness. Do you really think your little toy gun or your flimsy sword can stand against that?" He opened his mouth to speak, but she turned away, not interested in the least about hearing him try to defend himself. She looked at Emma, who seemed to be in her own little world. "Will you find out who did this? Most likely it was Robin, but I would like it to be investigated."

Emma nodded. "Anything for you, Regina."

Regina smiled. "Thank you." She teleported home and magically packed her bags for her little vacation. She went upstairs to her bedroom and found Mal waiting for her. "Mal-"

"You didn't do as I asked." The dragon arched an eyebrow. "Why? Did something happen? Did someone attack you too?"

"No." Regina shook her head. "No, I went to the station to tell Emma and David to look into who shot you."

"That could've waited." Mal walked forward, starting to circle her, slowly rubbing her hands together.

Regina gasped, feeling her marks start to tingle. "Mal, wait…"

"For what? We have time." Mal snapped her fingers and sent a shock to her clit, nearly making her knees buckle. "Remove your clothes." Regina quickly complied and swallowed nervously. She shuddered when she felt Mal close to her. The dragon placed a hot kiss against her neck.

"Mal, I'm sorry." She whispered.

"I know. It doesn't change what I'm going to do to you." Came the soft purr. Mal dragged the tip of her tongue along the edge of her ear and purred even harder when Regina shuddered again. The dragon toyed with her, like a predator teasing its prey before delivering the killing blow. With a few motions of her hand, she had Regina quaking, desperate for release. Long fingers teased and touched and Regina could hardly breathe as she watched Mal bring those wet fingers to her lips and taste her. "Get into bed. We have a couple hours before we're scheduled to leave." Regina crawled into bed, wondering what the blonde had in store. She was a bit surprised when Mal pulled the sheets over them and wrapped her in her arms.

"Wait, we're cuddling? You can't tease me like that and expect us to cuddle. You have to finish what you started!" Regina exclaimed. Maleficent snickered softly and smirked when Regina climbed up to sit on her face. "You're not going to spend the entire 2 hours either."

"Says you." Mal purred, her tongue already going to work, but just slow enough to drive Regina crazy.

"Mal, please." She whimpered.

"Who is your queen?" Maleficent inquired.

"You are."

"Who do you belong to?"

"You."

Mal purred hard, almost shaking the bed. "Who do you love? Who is perfect in every way? The most beautiful and fearsome of all creatures?"

"Me- I mean you."

"You're going to pay for that." Mal snickered.

/

"Mal, what is that?" Regina asked as she stepped outside, magically locking the door behind her. A grinning Lily was sitting on the hood of a magnificent jet black sports car sitting in her driveway.

"I said I would treat you." Mal replied. "That includes providing you with the utmost comfort for our vacation. You seem to like the mercedes company so I simply purchased the latest and safest model for you. You're welcome." She kissed Regina's temple and walked down to the car. Lily tossed her the keys and teleported away. Regina ran around to the driver's seat and got in while Mal slid into the passenger seat. It was a beautiful car and probably worth more than her old one and her house put together. "Let's go, dear. Our first stop is in New York. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us, but plenty of diversions along the way."

Regina turned to her lover. "You're the absolute best."

Mal smiled. "Don't make me blush, Regina."

The brunette smirked and kissed her lover. "I love you."

"You're going to love me so much more after this trip." The dragon replied.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The yellow bug almost overturned when Emma hit the brakes, skidding to a stop at the edge of the forest. She got out and slammed the door, pulling out her pistol. She stormed up to the Merry Men's camp and several of the men whipped out their bows and aimed arrows at her, but she ignored them and marched over to Robin's tent, finding the man asleep. With a quick glance around she made sure Roland wasn't anywhere near before diving on top of Robin and pistol whipping him across the face.

"What in bloody hell-"

"You really had to prove you had balls, didn't you?" She hissed. "They know you shot Maleficent out of the sky. How stupid could you be to use an arrow?!"

Robin pushed her off. "What does it matter to you?" He got back to his feet and wiped off his face, revealing that his entire arm and hand was bandaged.

"It matters to me because now I have to pretend like I want to help that bitch! I don't care if she died, but now I have to 'investigate' what happened. Your ass is going to jail."

"I'm not going anywhere or I'll tell them you were the one who blinded her." Robin replied. "You're as guilty as I am."

"I don't care about that." She scowled. "But when your stupid little plans start inconveniencing me, then we have a problem."

He scoffed, a cocky smirk appearing on his face. "I don't care about you at all. This was just a warning to dear Maleficent. A centimeter over and that arrowhead would've broken and hit her heart. I'm Regina's soulmate. I'm the only one who deserves her and if I have to kill the Dragon Queen, the Savior and the rest of the so called Queens of Darkness, I will."

Emma frowned. "You're delusional. Regina is never going to want you even if you are her last choice. Roland has a better shot at dating Regina than you."

He laughed softly. "And you honestly believe that she gives a shit about you, the spawn of her most hated enemies, the woman who stole her son, who almost had her banished from her own town, who is nothing more than an orphan with a title?"

"We'll see. Watch me do what you can't do, you pathetic excuse for a man." Emma turned around to leave, shaking with rage. Regina loved her. She even told her once before. They had a son together, a family together, why would they need or want anyone else? Maleficent had her claws in deep and she wasn't going to let Regina go, not without a fight. That was fine. Her victory would be that much sweeter when she earned it, and she had every intention to do so...even if she had to kill Maleficent herself. Regina was going to be hers. After all, who knew Regina like she did, who would care for her like her? Her arm started to burn again and she scowled as she pulled off her glove to find that her hand was slowly turning green.

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	4. Chapter 4

Maleficent growled softly to herself as she waited for Regina to exit the dressing room. She crossed her arms and checked her phone to see if Lily had contacted her. It had been 3 days since the start of their vacation and she had filled it with fun things for her lover to do, including going to an amusement park, going diving, paragliding, dancing, enjoying both the finest restaurants and a couple quaint diners, as well as going to the theater house, the movies and beach parties. Now they were doing what was quickly becoming one of Mal's favorite things: spending money on Regina. It made her happy to make the queen happy and who didn't love nice things? Mal was rich and it was the first time in many, many years that she wanted to spend her money.

"What do you think?" She looked up and her jaw hit the floor when Regina stepped out of the dressing room in nothing but black lace lingerie. Regina smirked and did a twirl for her. "They have it in purple."

"Yes, absolutely." Mal grinned, making a turning motion with her finger. Regina obliged her with another spin before going back behind the curtain to try on something else.

"Aren't you going to buy anything?" Regina called.

"I bought most of what I wanted beforehand as a little surprise for you. Don't worry."

"But I don't get the fun of watching you try on stuff." Regina peeked her head out. "This vacation isn't just about me."

"It's all about you, what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Regina stepped out again, this time in a blood red lace negligee that made Mal want to take her right then and there. "This one is very comfortable. Yes or no?"

"Yes, duh." Mal scoffed, licking her lips. "Maybe we get out of here before I slam you against that wall."

Regina laughed as she got changed and returned with an armload of lingerie. They walked up to the front and placed everything on the counter. Mal pulled out her card and turned it over in her hands.

"What is it?" Regina asked.

"Just wondering. It's so strange that I had to exchange all of my **gold** for green **paper** which is apparently all on this piece of **plastic**."

Regina chuckled softly. "This world is very different."

"You're right." She couldn't even turn into a dragon in this world. Natural tendencies like her heightened senses and increased strength remained for the most part, but her magic was no longer effective and it slightly made her uneasy knowing that if something happened she wouldn't be able to protect Regina as well as usual.

"That'll be $1,344.56." The cashier said.

"Oh, maybe we can put something back." Regina said.

Mal scoffed and handed the woman the card. "Regina, I'm rich."

After that they went to a massive shoe store and they both ended up getting a lot of things they liked. Mal spent almost $100,000 on that little excursion alone. After that was a jewelry store, and Mal, being the gem hoarding, shiny-thing-loving dragon that she was….bought everything.

"Mal, you won't have any money soon." Regina commented as they walked into their penthouse. Mal had thought about using a hotel room, but then just decided to buy this pretty loft that she saw on the blinking square that Lily used and filled it with furniture. It had three floors, four bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a kitchen.

"I really do wish you would stop this worrying about money nonsense. I inherited my mother's hoard and have been adding to it for the last several hundred years. And besides, I'm only using the gold. I have 30 more types of gems and 300 of each. I could buy the entire state of Maine if I so desired." Mal tickled her under the chin as she walked past. They walked into the bedroom, putting away the many bags they had accumulated and all of its contents. Afterwards, Mal lead the way into the kitchen where they found Ruby sitting to the kitchen island and Lily frosting a giant chocolate cake.

Regina skipped across the room and jumped onto Lily's back, wrapping her arms around her neck and kissing the top of her head.

"Mom, what the hell?"

"I can't be excited to see my only daughter? The perfect offspring of me and your mother. Hmm?"

Lily smiled and kissed her arm. "Love you too, Mom."

Regina hopped down and kissed Lily's cheek. "So, how was your day together?"

"Perfect, we went to the zoo. Ruby hated it." Lily replied.

"Yeah, because I totally wanted to see a bored wolf in a glass cage." Ruby scoffed.

"She liked the aquarium." Lily continued, slicing a piece of cake.

"Where is Zelena and Belle?" She inquired.

"Probably at a museum. If not, they're in their room having sex."

"Hmm." Regina grabbed a fork to taste a piece of the cake.

Maleficent silently watched the exchange with a small smile. It took a while, but Lily was finally at ease with them. She smiled and laughed and joked with Regina as if they were old friends rather than mother and daughter, but Regina still exercised her parental rights occasionally. She was a natural mother. The blonde watched Regina brush a piece of Lily's hair out of her face and it just amazed her at the former queen's tenderness. Hands that could catch arrows in midair, wield a sword with deadly precision, fire a bow with perfect aim, light fireballs and make conjurations, hands that were hard and could rip out hearts...were the very same hands soft enough to hold and soothe a child, to comfort a friend. Everything about Regina continued to baffle her.

That evening found her and her lover naked and entangled together under the bed sheets, making out until they had to stop every so often to breathe. "Regina."

"Hmm?" Regina moved down to kissing her neck so she could speak.

"Are you enjoying being spoiled?"

Regina looked up and smirked. "I am. It's wonderful."

"If I had the money, I would buy you the world." Mal said, falling onto her back. Regina moved to sit on her stomach, one eyebrow arched curiously.

"What's really on your mind, Dragon?"

Mal took Regina's hands and pressed them to her heart, making her queen lean forward a little bit. "You are. All the time. But this time…" She paused, trying to think of a good way to word her request. "I wish to heal you...and for you to bear me another child. I wish for you to be my mate, to be my bonded, to be my wife, everything. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, seeing you smile, bringing you pleasure. That business with Emma and Robin, it wasn't just because I wanted to take you from them, I wanted you to be mine again. You give me purpose, I feel like more than just a dragon or a beast. It's a feeling I have never felt before. Only with you." She made the little black box appear in Regina hands and the brunette leaned back slightly to open it. Inside it, was the greatest thing Maleficent had ever created. A ring handcrafted by her own claws. Forged in the hottest fire she could muster, was an exquisite diamond ring. Almost a hundred little diamonds had been delicately put into place and the painstaking designs had taken hours and many failed attempts to perfect. In the center was a large round, white diamond. The most precious jewel from her hoard. Now it would grace the hand of her most precious person. "Well? Regina?" Regina suddenly got off the bed and rushed into the bathroom. "Regina?!" She got off the bed and walked to the bathroom door. "Regina, was it too sudden? I-It's okay...if you say no. I would completely understand." After that stint of being with Leopold, she wouldn't be surprised if Regina never wanted to tie herself to another person again.

The door opened and she frowned at seeing that Regina had been crying. "Did you-did you steal my ring?" She knew it would get a smile out of her lover. Regina smirked as she roughly wiped her eyes and Mal pushed her hands away to gently wipe them for her with her thumbs. Regina raised her hand to show that she was wearing the ring.

"I'm sorry, I just needed a moment, but...yes. To everything, to all of it. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes." Regina giggled as Mal picked her up and kissed her all over her face. She was so happy right now it almost hurt. Mal put her down and grabbed their robes, tossing Regina's to her and quickly putting hers on before racing to the 2nd floor and breaking into Lily and Ruby's room. Ruby sat up instantly but she had to almost beat her daughter with a pillow before she woke up.

"Mom, what the hell?"

"Regina." She said, forcing Lily to sit up and pulling Regina's hand over. Even in the near darkness the diamond almost glowed. Lily's jaw slowly dropped.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Yes!" She left the room and went down to Zelena and Belle's room and kicked the door open. Belle was still awake and nearly threw the book she had been reading. Zelena was on her feet in an instant in attack mode, looking around wildly.

"Mal, what the hell are you doing?" The redhead demanded. They all looked up at hearing squeals and stomping from upstairs.

"Regina agreed to be my mate and we're getting married and having children." She said excitedly. "She agreed."

"WHAT?!"

It was a joyous occasion that night and the women were up to almost 3 in the morning talking about future plans.

"I would prefer a small wedding." Regina said. "Just us, you know?"

"What about Henry?" Mal asked. She saw the pain flash in her lover's eyes before she simply shook her head. Mal knew that Henry was upset about Regina disregarding her soulmate, taking Emma from his father and then essentially breaking his blonde mother's heart. She thought they were getting better but she supposed not. "It's okay, dear." She kissed Regina's temple. "We'll continue our vacation and then we went get back to Storybrooke, we can plan our wedding."

"Or…" Regina said. "We could get married **on** our vacation…"

"Then transition straight into the honeymoon." Lily grinned. "I like your thinking, Mom."

"Are you sure?" Mal asked, wanting to be sure that they weren't rushing anything.

"Why wait?" Regina asked, pecking her lips, causing a bright smile to appear on her lips.

"Then we won't."

"Since we're spreading around good news," Belle said, causing everyone to look at her. "I'm pregnant." She turned to Zelena, whose head whipped around.

"Really?"

"Yes, why would I lie about-" Zelena tackled the woman off the chair and Ruby and Lily dove on them as well.

"This is wonderful. Soon, you will be pregnant and all we have to do is wait for Lily to finally give us grandchildren and everything will be perfect!" Mal said, looking at Regina. Lily's head immediately shot up. They both grinned and joined in the dog pile of Zelena and Belle, congratulating the happy couple.

A couple hours later Mal and Regina were back in their beds and Regina was almost attacking her lips, literally shaking with happiness. "Regina, take it easy."

"You've made me the happiest woman alive and you want me to take it easy?" Regina paused to glare at her, before her eyes moved down to her lips. "You have the most amazing lips, Mal."

"I know." She smirked.

"How are you going to heal me?"

"A little remedy I concocted." Mal replied, tenderly stroking her lover's back.

"But how are we going to make a baby?"

"Same way we made the other one."

"Magic."

"What? No. Dragons can have sex with the same sex and produce children. I thought I told you that before."

"No, you failed to mention it."

She smiled at Regina's unamused expression. "Well, we can. How do you think I came to be?" By the rise of Regina's eyebrows she guessed she must've failed to mention that as well. "I have two mothers, Regina." Regina snuggled on her chest, waiting for her to continue. She chuckled softly before thinking. "Millicent and Malevolence were their names, although most of the time they called each other Millie and Cynder. Cynder was the fire, and Millie was the hearth. They were true loves."

"Tell me more." Regina whispered.

"Cynder was the fighter, the most powerful. She was even bigger than I in dragon form and had white scales. Millie was more soft hearted, more of a healer. Cynder was a fire drake who could breathe ice, but Millie was a um...I'm not sure if it was called a basilisk or a wyrm really, but her dragon form was weird, well, different, but she was incredibly fast and a master at blending in. Together, they were amazing. They always made each other laugh and played games with each other and tricks on each other. They were truly in love."

"I wish I could've met them." Regina said softly, placing a kiss to her collarbone.

"They're not dead, dear...just not here."

"Is there a way to find them? To contact them?"

"I don't know. I've tried every way that I know how."

"I'll see what I can do." Regina promised, probably already thinking of ways to find her lost parents. She always suspected that something bad happened, but she wasn't sure. All she remembered were the good times and then suddenly being in the Enchanted Forest...alone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma almost threw her phone against the wall when her call went straight to voicemail again. Every time she'd tried to call Regina she was either rejected or ignored. But it wasn't pissing her off. It started pissing her off almost 6 fucking months ago when Regina left on what was supposed to be a 2 week vacation and never came back! She didn't even try to contact Henry. She didn't even call or text about the investigation. It was just silence. She sat down at her desk and pulled up to her computer.

"Emma." She glanced up at Robin as he closed the door behind him. "Has there been word?"

"No, now get the fuck out of my office. We're not friends, you idiot." She snapped, pulling up the tracker on screen.

Robin ignored her warning. "You put a tracker on Regina?"

"No, that would be ridiculous. I put one in her phone." She clicked on Regina's name and found that the woman was all the fucking way in Africa. There were former pings all over the place: England, Morocco, Ireland, Hawaii, Canada. Regina was traveling everywhere but she couldn't answer her phone just once? It was starting to make her crazy. Just the fact that Regina was ignoring her and she couldn't see her and make sure she was okay, and that stupid dragon was probably all over her. She couldn't let Maleficent win her girl.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Regina sighed as she looked down at her phone and found yet another message from Emma, this time claiming that Henry was sick. She finally decided to answer. "What, Swan?"

"Are you okay?" Emma asked softly.

"I'm fine. What's wrong with Henry?" She looked up and smiled at Lily and Ruby feeding some curious giraffes that wandered over to their safari truck.

"Oh, um...nothing. I just needed to talk to you. It drives me crazy not knowing that you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Regina frowned. "All these messages need to stop. Now. It is beyond normal and I am tired of seeing your name every time I look at my phone."

"Yeah, well, if you answered, maybe I wouldn't have to call so many times. Um, where are you?"

"Enjoying my vacation-"

"You've been gone almost 7 months. When are you coming home?"

If Mal was here, then she was home. But she knew Emma didn't want to hear that. It was like the blonde was only paying attention to half of what she said and ignoring her on the topic of they were no longer together and Regina wanted nothing to do with her. They took her son and tried to take her town. She knew that in the eyes of the heroes, she would never be redeemed. All of these messages and calls was borderline stalking and she had had enough of it.

Regina sighed as she abruptly hung up the phone. "Mal, can you buy me a new phone?" She asked as the safari driver drove them away. The breeze felt really good in this heat but she could tell Mal didn't really mind. She liked open places. The forest never really appealed to her even though her territory was once covered in it.

"Of course. Is something wrong with this one?" The dragon asked.

"Besides the fact that she desperately needs a new upgrade?" Lily said.

"I would just like a new one."

"It will be done." Mal assured her. As soon as they got back to the resort, she purchased a brand new phone and crushed her old one and threw it away. She could've just changed her number, but Lily was right, she did need an upgrade.

"Mal, dear, we can't have sex on the beach again." Regina said, stepping out of the bathroom and finding her lover on the grand bed, removing her shoes. "I'm still washing sand out of my vagina."

Maleficent smiled and beckoned her closer with a crooked finger. "What is the score now?"

"65 for me. 63 for you." Regina said, walking into her arms.

"Bull. Shit. How am I behind?" The dragon demanded, placing kisses to her bare belly that by now was beautifully distended enough to know that there was life within. Mal had truly made her happier than she could ever be and she only wanted to repay that happiness in kind. Except she didn't need to. Mal was purring so loud right now she could hardly speak as she picked Regina up and laid her on the bed, continuing to nuzzle her like a happy cat.

"We took off points for the sex on the beach thing after we realized that it wasn't as romantic as this world likes to claim and has rather annoying lasting effects."

Maleficent chuckled and moved to lay next to her. "Don't worry. You still taste as sweet as ever. Something on your mind? That vein in your forehead is starting to protrude."

"It's my former suitors." She sighed. "Emma has called me 32 times and left 24 text messages….today. She lied and texted me that Henry was sick to get me to answer. She constantly wants to know where I am and what I'm doing and if I'm okay. And the last part, I don't truly mind so long as it's a reasonable amount of asking but the rest…"

"She still thinks you are hers."

"I think she still thinks I can be hers. But I'm not, I can't. I don't want to be with anyone except you. It's like she completely checks out whenever I tell her this." Regina sighed.

"I wonder what her reaction will be when we return and she sees that you are carrying my child." Mal placed another kiss to her stomach.

"She won't be happy."

"She is not my concern and she should not be yours. If I have to have another talk with her, I will. If I have to burn her alive...I will." Maleficent said, kissing her cheek. "You and this child and our family, that is my concern."

"I know you'll take care of us, Mal, but I will not be-"

"Yes, you will." Maleficent growled. "No more worrying. Let me handle the rest."

"Fine." Regina sighed, accepting another peck on the lips. She got up and changed into a little blue dress and laid back down on the bed. Mal got changed for a night on the town with the rest of the girls, but Regina didn't really feel like it. Instead, she stayed in bed and rested her aching feet.

"Mom?" Lily peeked in. "You still up?"

"Yes."

"You hungry?" Lily smirked as she pushed open the door and rolled in a cart. "Thought you would want a little something else before bed." She closed the door and sat on the bed next to Regina, revealing the plate of roasted swan, roasted vegetables and bowls of ice cream and cake.

"You are the greatest daughter in the world!" Regina exclaimed as she happily dug into the food. Lily only laughed and ate with her. After they both were comfortably full, they sat on the bed with their backs against the headboard and talked.

"So…" Lily said. "Mom told me about the idiots harassing you. Say the word, I bought a vintage battle axe the other day and I am dying to use it."

"What could you possibly need with a battle axe?" Regina frowned.

"I want to learn how to use it. And...Mom gave me an allowance."

"I am not going to even ask how much money she gave you, but yes, Emma is becoming more of a nuisance than usual."

"How so?"

"Lots of calls and messages, that's all. Even after I blocked her number."

"Maybe breaking up with her broke something in her."

"I don't know. Robin called me once as well. He wanted to talk about our relationship. I promptly replied that there was no relationship. He did not take it well. He started screaming about soulmates and lizards and other stuff, I don't know, I just hung up. Am I that amazing that I make people go crazy?" Regina asked, looking at her daughter.

"Do you really need to ask that, Evil Queen?"

Regina smirked. "I suppose not. However, they will have to be dealt with eventually. There's no doubt in my mind that at least one of them had something to do with Mal getting hurt."

"They'll get what's coming to them. Rest assured that Mom hasn't forgotten."

"Oh, believe me, I know. A dragon never forgets, rarely forgives. They simply wait for the perfect moment to strike." She sighed. "On to a better note, when can I expect my grandchildren?"

"Working on it."

Regina smiled as they fist bumped. "That's my girl."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma was on her feet instantly when she heard that Regina had returned. She dropped whatever she was doing and drove to the mansion, only to find that Tink and Kathryn were there, clearing out Regina's stuff. "What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.

"Moving Regina's things. She asked us to."

"Why?!"

Tink frowned and took a step away from her. "She's moving in with the Queens of Darkness. Tell Henry that if he wants his stuff, to come get it before nightfall or it'll probably get blown up with the rest of the place."

Emma scowled and immediately got back into her car. She was about to drive up to the mansion the Queens of Darkness had stolen but was halted by the sight of Maleficent, Lily and Zelena roaring up the street on black, red, and green motorcycles respectively. They were leading a massive truck that had Ruby behind the wheel pulling two trailers. Behind it came Regina and Belle in Regina's new mercedes. She was sure Regina saw her, but the queen kept going. She decided to follow and parked behind her in the driveway. A big smile hit her face at seeing a glowing and beautiful queen get out of the car, but her smile fell when she saw Regina's stomach. Regina was pregnant?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	5. Chapter 5

"Regina." The queen looked up and sighed, making her way over. Behind her, the others were opening the trailers and removing the thousand gifts that Mal had bought, as well as new furniture and appliances. They even commissioned the former Lost Boys and some more kids from the school to help move all the stuff.

"What are you doing here, Emma?"

"Are you pregnant?"

"I am."

Emma looked her up and down. She was so beautiful, she was glowing and so bright. "You look nice-" She frowned when she noticed the giant rock on Regina's hand, glittering in the sun. "You're getting married?!"

"No." Regina said, fingering the rock. "I already am."

Emma paled at the news. "That can't be true."

"It is, I already told you that there was no way we could be together. I love Mal and I'm sorry for hurting you, but I can't change how I feel, how she makes me feel. It's impossible."

Emma quickly turned around and got back into her car. She willed herself not to cry as she sped to Gold's. The pawn shop was closed, but she forced her way in anyway.

"Can't you read, dearie?" Gold demanded from behind the counter.

"I can't take it. Make it stop." She removed her jacket and her gloves and rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. "How do I make it stop?" Gold looked down at her green arm. "Regina has gotten married, she's having a kid, she doesn't care about me, and I can't stop loving her. Is there anything you could do?"

"I can cut off your arm." He suggested.

"Gold, please! Can you take out my heart? Something?" It hurt. Knowing that there was nothing she could do to change Regina's mind. She wanted to go and kill Maleficent right now but she knew Regina would never want her if she did. She just wanted to be with her, to make her happy, but she didn't want her! Regina didn't want her. She wanted that stupid dragon!

"I can take away the color, but not the pain." Gold said finally.

"Do it. I don't care about a deal or a favor, just do it. Whatever the cost." Gold nodded and waved his hand, erasing the green affliction from her skin. "Thank you."

"Envy is a terrible cross to bear. It eats nothing but its own heart."

"Then what am I supposed to do when I love her and she loves someone else?"

"Move on, dearie. Find someone else to love. You think you're the only one who's had their heart broken?" He scoffed, leaning on the counter. "It will take some time, but eventually, it'll hurt a little less."

"No."

"No?"

She scowled. "No, because that dragon knew that I loved her, that Regina was falling in love with me and she stepped in anyway. She didn't care about breaking up a happy relationship so long as she got what she wanted...and she'll get what she deserves."

"And what does she deserve? Were you a part of that nonsense with trying to murder Maleficent?"

"It doesn't matter if I was. Why would it concern you?"

Gold shrugged. "It doesn't. Just curious."

"You should stop being curious." Gold said nothing more as she stormed out of the shop. Maleficent would get what was coming to her alright. She pulled out her phone and sent the news to Robin, knowing that it would sufficiently piss him off. She wouldn't have to get her hands dirty at all. He would do everything with that new temper of his. He'll kill Maleficent, Regina would hate him, maybe even kill him, and Emma would slide back into place. It was perfect.

Xxxxxxxxzzzzz

Regina looked around her new bedroom with a smile. It was huge of course and so very...Mal. It had a touch of old fashioned elegance and a certain modern appeal that showed Lily had a hand in decorating it as well. She sat down on the giant four poster bed and laughed to herself as she sank into it. She crawled onto it, almost swimming through all the pillows Mal had.

She heard a soft laugh behind her. "What are you doing, dear?"

"Marking my new territory." She replied, rolling over to take in the sight of a smirking Maleficent.

" **Your** territory?"

"Yes, now why are you so ridiculously beautiful?"

Mal shrugged as she walked over to the bed and jumped, almost belly flopping Regina off the bed. She laughed heartily at Regina struggling to stay on the bed. "What's wrong, dear?"

"You almost bounced me off the bed!" Regina exclaimed. "Your pregnant mate!"

"Oh please." Mal scoffed, snuggling up to the brunette. "I love you."

"I love you too, Maleficent Mills. I'm glad you took my last name." She beamed. Yet another of Mal's doings that made her feel like the most wonderful woman in the world. Even better was that Lily had her name changed as well, to Lilith Mills.

"Now, let's break in the bed, yeah? What's the score now?"

"94." Regina said, pointing to herself. "91 for you."

"That's ridiculous! Why am I always behind?"

"You guys are in the fucking 90s already?" Lily exclaimed, walking in. "What do you guys do? Have sex nonstop?"

"Sex is very important in marriage." Maleficent replied, sitting up. "You must always satisfy your mate. Especially when she looks like that and is carrying your child." She beamed at Regina, who ignored her and buried herself under the pillows for a nap. "Even though she can be a bit childish."

Lily smiled. "We got everything off the trucks and Ruby took it back. Everything has been set up."

"Good, and the properties?"

"All changed hands nicely."

"Properties?" Regina sat up. "You guys are buying up properties?"

"Indeed we are." Mal smirked at her. "I now own the Rabbit Hole, the library, the ice cream shop, the flower shop, the animal shelter, the shipyard, the cannery, a good portion of the surrounding forest, the Author's mansion and Æsop's Tables."

"Why?" Regina asked.

"All will be revealed in time, but it's mostly because I can, Regina. Now, get some rest, I'll be back in later for some more points."

Regina smirked as the pair left and she looked around her new bedroom again. Home. It felt like Mal, so it felt like home. She sighed and slid beneath the sheets for a good rest. Life really couldn't get any better than this.

/

Maleficent growled as she walked into the police station with Zelena and Lily on either side of her. Emma looked up from where she was sitting on a desk next to her father. Robin was present as well, but his eyes clouded over when she stepped in. In a cell nearby was a man she did not know, but by his clothes and the smell of forest hanging on his clothes, he was one of the Merry Men. "This is the man who shot me?"

"Yeah, he confessed."

Mal tilted her head, looking at the man. He didn't seem like he would do much. In fact...She looked into his eyes, casting a quick spell. He was terrified. He did not want to be here. A man with the gall to take down a dragon and yet he sat here, terrified to move. Robin could be hiding the real shooter among his men. Or he was the real shooter. Besides, there were two participants in her attempted murder. That flash blinded her came from her left, and the arrow came from her right. Two people. Everyone in this room was probably lying to her right now. "Where is the other person?" She asked carefully. "The one who blinded me."

"He said it was just him." Robin said.

"Did he now? Are you sure about this, Hood?"

"He confessed." The man repeated.

"We'll keep him until court." Said Emma. "I'm sure you'll want to be present for the trial."

Maleficent frowned and looked at Zelena. "Is court the same in this world as it is in mine?"

"Person gets tried for a crime in a trial. Judgement is passed by a jury and a judge." The witch answered. "Although I don't understand why we would need a trial if the man already pleaded guilty to trying to kill you."

"Oh no, I'll not be doing that." Mal grabbed the doors of the cell and wrenched them open. She reached in with a powerful swing and almost knocked the man out. She grabbed him by neck and dragged him out.

"Stop!" David and Emma both pulled out guns. "This isn't how this world works."

"Welcome to my world." Maleficent smirked, launching the man through the glass window nearby with one arm. She made a crushing motion with her hand and the guns became nothing more than a mashed wad of metal. She approached a stoic looking Robin Hood and got right into his face. "If I find out that you had a hand in this, Hood, and I firmly believe you did, nothing is going to stop me from ripping you apart. Look at your friend. For you, it'll be a thousand times worse."

"I would be worried...if I actually committed a crime." He replied.

"I see you still haven't grown that set of balls if you're willing to let your little buddy take the heat for your stupidity. What about the rest of your Merry Men? Do I need to go through them as well? Or are you going to man up." Without warning, she slammed her hand into his chest and wrenched out his heart, but she immediately knew that it wasn't his heart. What kind of innocent man needed to hide his own heart? She gently pushed his heart back into his chest. "I don't know if you know this, but I razed King Stephan's kingdom when he tried to kill me. I covered Snow's in flames when she took my daughter. I blanket King George's in an inferno simply because he is related to that buffoon." She gestured to David. "What do you think I'm going to do to you?" Robin scowled at her. "Would you like to find out, Hood?" A devilish smirk appeared on her lips.

"Why don't you be the bigger woman?" David asked, moving forward cautiously. "Move forward."

"I'm a dragon, not a human. Don't ever confuse that and try your greater good bullshit on me." Maleficent growled. "Until you bring me the real people who did this, I am going to do something that the two of you wish you could: I'm going to go fuck Regina." She smirked, making her departure.

"What are you going to do, Mom?" Lily asked.

"If an injury has to be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared."

"Niccolo Machiavelli." Zelena murmured.

"Indeed. For a dragon, all transgressions are paid in blood and those who tried to kill me **will** pay. Until then...I'm going to do exactly what I said I would. I'm going to go fuck my wife. Make love first, then war."

/

Regina quietly stepped into the pawn shop and looked around for Gold, finding him at his usual place behind the counter, writing in a ledger. "Come in, dearie. I was just going to go find you."

"Me? Why?"

"How's Belle?" He asked as she walked up to the counter.

"Fine. Happy." She said. "But I didn't come here for a chat. I came here because I wanted to know if there a was a way to find Mal's parents."

"You do realize that Maleficent is immortal. There's no telling how old she is or how old her parents are. They could be dead, could've died thousands of years ago. In which case, I couldn't help you."

"She feels they're alive." Regina sighed. "Will you at least try? What would you want in return?"

A slightly creepy smirk appeared on the Dark One's lips. She could practically see the demented gears in her head churning and ready to spit out some ridiculous price for this task that would probably be easy for him for to do. He sat up and closed the ledger, leaning forward slightly.

"I would like to see Belle. Just once, to talk to her."

"I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise she'll agree."

Gold nodded slowly. "Understandable." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at his tone. "But there is something else."

"Well, what do you want?"

"Nothing, I want to give **you** something." He smirked. "I'm finding myself a little bit bored these days. Not much mayhem the Dark One can cause in this tiny town. Thank you for that. But, I recently received the chance for some entertainment. I was just visited but a very upset blonde."

"Emma."

"Indeed. She was practically green with envy. Finding you married, pregnant, with the woman she hates, the woman she tried so hard to keep you from. Oh, it's too funny. I even believe she was involved in Maleficent's incident and knows who really did it." Regina started to scowl, which only seemed to make Gold more amused. "That's not all. She said and I quote, "She didn't care about breaking up a happy relationship so long as she got what she wanted...and she'll get what she deserves," referencing Maleficent of course. Do you really not know who did it?"

"At this point, I think Mal knows. She's just trying not to become unhinged. That's not going to help anyone, but thank you...for this information. I need to go."

"I'll see what I can do about Maleficent's parents, but if you do confront the fools, allow me to be present, yeah?"

"Of course, Dark One."

"Ta-ta, dearie."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	6. Chapter 6

"Mal." Regina called, walking into the bedroom. She looked around, her mind already concocting a vision of what Mal would do when she heard her news. Finding the bedroom empty, she heard the soft splash of water come from the bathroom and peeked in to confirm that it was indeed her wife. Her jaw went slack, watching Mal climb out of the roman style bath. Her eyes followed the beads slowly descending the dragon's body, leaving wet trails along her skin that made Regina want to lick them off. Mal used magic to dry her hair and fluffed it around with her fingers. Regina swallowed, following the dragon's curves, every inch of perfection that was Maleficent. When Mal turned the brunette got a perfect view of her breasts that could only be described as exquisite. She licked her lips and was staring so hard that she didn't realize that Mal was moving closer. Two long fingers took her chin and made her look up into the amused sapphires of Mal's eyes.

"It's impolite to stare." Regina cursed softly at finding herself blushing. Mal chuckled lightly and kissed the top of her head. She walked over to the towel and grabbed a fluffy white one.

"Wait." Regina stepped forward and took the towel. Maleficent smirked as she turned around and spread her arms. Regina used the towel to dry the dragon off as best as she could. When she had done that, then came the fun part. She grabbed the lotion and followed Mal into the bedroom.

Dragons were odd creatures to Regina, but one thing she liked was that they liked touch. Dragons reaffirmed their bonds with touch. Simple kisses or caresses expanded to much more as the bond deepened depending on said bond. Sex usually fulfilled this goal for her and Mal, but on rare occasions, they liked to wash each other too. The lotion thing was her idea.

Mal laid down on the bed on her stomach and Regina climbed over top of her, massaging the sweet smelling lotion into her back. She took her time this time, enjoying the feeling of smooth skin under her fingertips, Mal's warmth radiating through her palms, her purring shaking the bed. She smiled at seeing the orchid tattoo on her lover's back. It was beautiful and to think that Mal had actually drawn it herself made it all the more special. She moved downward to Mal's lower back, admiring the curves of the dragon's waistline. Mal shifted under her as she got to her butt.

"Your workouts have been going well, I see." Regina smirked. Mal didn't necessarily need to work out at all, but being pregnant, Regina did to stay healthy and Mal almost never let her do her workouts alone.

"Just as well as yours."

Regina gave her ass a squeeze and moved down to generously apply the lotion to her legs. When she was done, Mal rolled over and she licked her lips, taking one of Mal's nipples into her mouth.

"Mmm, Regina, no. I just took a bath. If we get started then I'll have to take another one."

"Fine." The brunette huffed. She did massage lotion onto Mal's breasts though, taking extra time to make sure each one had been properly moisturized. Mal glared at her twice and she giggled before moving on to her stomach, to nicely toned abs that she rarely let anyone see. She moved down to the front of Mal's legs and finally her feet and toes that had the dragon trying not to giggle. "You're so beautiful, baby."

"Thank you, dear."

Regina finished with her massage and fell onto her side next to Mal. The dragon waved her hand, removing all of Regina's clothes so she could press her ear to the queen's bare belly.

"Beautiful." Mal said, kissing her belly. "Roll over. My turn." Regina obeyed, gently rolling over onto her stomach, although her caution was unnecessary considering her baby was safely tucked away in an egg. She relaxed as Mal started to massage her back. "I'll check the furniture downstairs." The dragon said. "Make sure it's good on your back. You ever need anything, you let me know, okay?"

"I know, Mal."

"I'm serious, Regina. If you need something to eat, something to drink, a massage, someone to cuddle with, or talk to, just let me know. I don't care if it's the middle of the night."

Regina nodded. "I know." She yawned, Mal's skillful touch easing her into sleep.

"Oh no, not yet." The dragon chuckled, repositioning her wife so they were under the covers. She wrapped her arms around Regina from behind, one arm settling over her swollen belly.

"Mal, you're my favorite." Regina said sleepily.

"Favorite what?" Regina mumbled something unintelligible. Mal smirked and nuzzled her wife's neck. "You're my favorite too."

/

It wasn't until the next morning that Regina even remembered just why she had been so earnest in finding Mal the night before. The pair was still in bed, cuddling and watching tv when she remembered. "Oh yeah, Gold told me something interesting about Emma the other day."

"Oh?" Mal listened intently as she told her what the Dark One had said. "Robin didn't have his heart in his chest. I would've crushed it. The only reason I didn't was that it might be Roland's."

"I don't understand it. What would make them go crazy like this?"

"Losing the best thing that ever happened to them can make any person go crazy. Especially if that thing is you." Mal replied. "But regardless of actual evidence...I think I'm going to kill them."

"No…you won't." Regina smirked.

"Why? What is it with you and killing now? I kill them both, problem solved. They'll stop stalking you and trying to kill me. How is that not a win-win?"

"Because Henry would lose his mother and Roland would lose his father."

"What are you going to do, lock up the sheriff in her own jail? Lock up the world's greatest thief? Tell me then, how are we going to play this?"

"This isn't a game, dear." Regina looked over her shoulder at her lover. "They tried to kill you. They're not playing. Your life is not worth some kind of game."

"Can I at least break some bones?"

Regina sighed. "Fine. Just no death."

"Done." Mal kissed her cheek. An hour later the former queen found herself walking down to the police station, finding her dragon lover smirking behind bars.

"Mal, what the hell?"

"What? You said I could break a few bones. You expected me to do it quietly?"

Regina rolled her eyes. She looked up as David approached.

"Your little girlfriend broke Emma's jaw and Robin's neck. She put a spell on them so they can't be healed. Tell her to take it off."

Regina arched an eyebrow and looked at Mal. "Take off the spell."

"No."

"I tried." She smirked at David.

"Either she fixes this or she gets put in the asylum." The false prince commanded.

"And how long do you think I will stay in there?" The dragon asked.

"Speaking of which, why are you still in here?" Regina frowned.

"Bored." Mal shrugged. "But you are right, I have a lot to do today." She cracked her fingers and without no effort at all, grabbed hold of two bars of her cell. Regina licked her lips, watching the muscles in Mal's flex as she pull on the strong steel, bending them with hardly any effort to easily step through the opening. "Are you hungry, dear?"

"Starving, as usual."

"Good, I'll make you something." The dragon waved at David before teleporting herself and her wife to her massive kitchen. Regina moved to the kitchen island and watched Mal pull out a bunch of fresh vegetables and fruits.

"That's what you've been doing today? Pissing off the mass populous?"

"Well, you were the one who made this town so tiny. I have to find some way to amuse myself."

Regina smirked. "And Emma and Robin?"

"Emma will be eating out of a straw for a while and Robin is going to be paralyzed from the neck down for a bit. Give or take some broken ribs from the Merry Men who tried to stop me, but nothing too bad. See?" Mal smirked and set about making her a fresh salad.

"You are a bitch." Regina smiled.

"But you still love me?" Mal paused to look at her.

"Always." Regina said sincerely.

The blonde blushed a little before turning back to the food. Within minutes she had made a gorgeous salad and dropped some grilled chicken into it as well. Regina happily dug in while Mal made herself one too. They talked for a while but Mal couldn't stay long due to having a magic lesson with the other Queens of Darkness. It surprised Regina a bit that Zelena was actually taking magic lessons.

"Why is that surprising?" Mal asked.

"Well, she broke a law of magic, likes to boast how powerful she is. We both know that she hates rules. How could you teach someone like that?"

"Easy. Zelena, like our moronic friend, Emma, was wasting away her potential. The woman broke a law of magic because she was so focused on destroying you. That kind of focus and power harnessed into something more productive could be astronomical. She has a lot of raw potential, once honed to fine edge, she could find that she is capable of so much more. Just like you."

"Me? I'm one of the most powerful practitioners of magic in the world." Regina exclaimed haughtily.

"Trained by the Dark One for a single purpose, to fulfill his curse not fulfill your potential. There's a lot you could learn. There is always room for improvement."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "What about Ruby and Belle?"

"They have separate lessons. Ruby, for all her strength and loyalty, was never taught how to be a werewolf. She was raised as a human, something she most certainly is not. I know plenty about her species and helping her learn about what she is makes us both happy. Belle, I just let use my library, although I have taught her some minor spells. She is working on healing at the moment and minor telekinesis. With her brain power, she should master it easily."

"So the dragon is finally sharing her wealth of knowledge with the rest of the world?"

"The rest of my family, yes." Maleficent smirked. "I'm even considering...expanding."

Regina arching an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Well, there have always been 3 Queens of Darkness. Now, I am considering adding in a few more." Mal shrugged. She walked around the island and kissed Regina's temple. "I can do a quickie before then." She whispered. "We haven't tried that yet."

"And we won't. We both know I need adequate time to fully appreciate this body before I can have my way with it." Regina replied, running a hand down her lover's side. Mal kissed her eyebrow and stepped away.

"Is there anything you need before I go?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"If you get bored, you're more than welcome to join us."

"I'll remember that." She smiled, watching Mal leave the kitchen. She walked to the front door and got her keys and put on her shoes for a drive to the pawn shop. Gold was behind the counter of course. "Did you find anything?"

"Indeed I did." He held up some kind of scroll and she reached for it, but he pulled it back. "How's Belle?"

"She's fine. She agreed to your little talk so long as you be respectful and she has the right to leave should she wish to." He handed her the scroll and she almost tore it open in her excitement.

"Careful, that parchment is over 1,000 years old." Gold snapped.

"There's nothing on it." She scowled.

"That's because it's a map but it wasn't meant for you. According to the legends, Millicent and Malevolence were cursed, their bodies placed on opposite ends of the world so they could never be reunited and one wouldn't be able to wake the other. Only one person has the power to awaken them."

"Mal." She said.

He nodded. "Or potentially Lily. Exactly _where_ they're entombed, I have no idea. Maleficent will have to read the map to find out. Try using a drop of her blood on the parchment if she doesn't automatically have the ability to read it."

"Why were they separated?" Regina asked.

"There was a reason they changed their names. Back then, dragon fire consumed the world. Wearing the biggest crowns, were Mal's parents. I believe it was Cynder who murdered her first mate, Kagan to take all of his hoard and power. Then she met Millicent and they fell in love. After Cynder became pregnant, they changed their images, turned the world into a utopia for their child, but some people still held grudges."

"Thanks, Gold." She carefully rerolled the parchment and made her way home. Walking into the mansion, she removed her shoes and tossed her keys into a bowl near the door before taking the stairs down into the basement. At the end of the hall was a giant steel door. She used magic to open it and stepped in, her jaw dropping at the sight of the massive underground vault. An entire wall was dedicated to the many hearts she and the other Queens may've collected over the years. Beyond that was a wall of weapons, a doorway into another room and a small case filled with different staffs, as well as a few armor stands. Zelena was currently going toe to toe with a warrior apparition, using a spear against a sword and shield. Lily was across the room, trying out her new battle axe against another apparition. What really surprised her was Ruby in her wolf form, running on a giant treadmill. She was in full sprint and there was a clock next to her that seemed to be recording her speed and how long she had been running. She was currently going 60 miles an hour, a lot higher than normal wolves if Regina recalled correctly and she had been running for almost an hour. "Damn." She made her way into the adjoining room which housed Mal's spectacular library. Belle was sitting in one of the many chairs situated around the room, holding a small pile of rocks in her hand with Mal looking over her shoulder. Regina silently watched as Belle made the rocks levitate in her palm. She was able to maintain the spell for a full minute before dropping them.

"Very good." Mal said, patting the top of her head.

"That's good?"

"For someone not born with magic in their veins, yes. You have to practice every day in order to be able to fully use all of that brain power." Belle nodded and stood up. She nodded to Regina and made her way with a happy skip over to the bookshelves. "Look who decided to join us."

"Quite the little training grounds you have here."

Maleficent smirked and kissed her forehead. "Would you like a tour?"

"Of course." Regina shrugged.

"First, is my library, as you can see. Over 3,000 years worth of ancient lore and knowledge housed in one location. I'm half sure that Belle has an orgasm every time she steps foot in here." The dragon smirked. Belle was too deep in a book to reply. Mal lead her back into the training area. "Lily is practicing with the battle axe she bought, focusing on strength and agility. Zelena is being trained in several types of martial arts, as well as with the sword and the spear. Both of them have powerful magic but they might not always have their magic at their disposal. Best to be well rounded."

"I agree. And your wolf?" She gestured to Ruby, who was still going on the treadmill, her speed going up 5 more points.

"Wolves are masters of the long distance hunt. Living here for 28 years, in this world of greasy food and television, with no wolf form to actually practice with, we both agreed she could work on some cardio." Mal answered. "Many years ago, when werewolves were even more scarce than they are nowadays, a single werewolf could hold the battle line for hours on end. Blessed with an endurance that would dominate any human, Ruby has the potential to be a force to be reckoned with. Even better than being one of Snow's generals. Today she is working on maintaining high speeds for a long period of time and for us to find out her top speed."

"And tomorrow?"

"Nothing. I only hold these lessons thrice a week or unless specifically asked for. What is that?" Mal asked, motioning to the scroll in her wife's hands.

"Come with me." Regina lead her upstairs into the living room where it was quiet. "Can you read this?"

Mal held out her hand and Regina placed the scroll in her palm. She watched intently as Mal unrolled it. She turned it sideways and then turned it over. "It's blank."

"Use a drop of your blood on it." Regina insisted. This map better fucking work or she was going to have to go back and skin Gold.

Mal nipped her finger, allowing a single drop of her blood to touch the ancient parchment. Almost instantly it started to glow and a moment later, the drop of blood seemed to shoot across the paper, forming images and roads. The map became clear and Mal had to sit down. "Regina, what is this?"

"A map...to your parents." She said, sitting next to her wife. "I told you I would find a way to help you find them. Gold gave this to me. He told me your parents were cursed by their enemies to live on opposite sides of the world. Only you or maybe Lily can wake them up. It must be some kind of sleeping curse."

"Is this real?" Mal whispered.

"Yes, according to Gold. It's not much and looks like some of it is in another language, but I'm sure if we can't translate it, then perhaps Belle can."

"When will you stop?" Mal asked.

Regina's face fell. "I thought you would like it." She whispered. "I'm sorry if I overstepped, Mal, I swear I didn't mean it-" Mal's lips crashing against hers made her freeze.

"You have gifted with me with your hand in marriage, with children, with a family, and now you seek to reunite me with my parents. When will you stop making my life so wonderful? I can only take so much, Regina."

Regina let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you were really mad at me."

"How could I ever be mad at the love of my life? This is...the mere chance of this actually working…" Mal suddenly kissed her again and again. Regina giggled as she was suddenly picked up and carried upstairs. "Whatever you want is yours. Anything. Everything. Name it."

"I just want to make you as happy as you've made me."

"I love you so much. But everything is moving too quickly for my liking. Let's focus on our child first, make sure everything is perfect, then we will figure out a way to help my parents. You are my first priority." Mal glanced at the map in her hands with a smile. "I can't imagine their faces when they see me again, this time married, mated and with another grandchild for them."

"Do you think they would approve of me?" Regina asked.

"They will adore you, as much as I do." Mal kissed her nose. She loved seeing the blonde so happy, so full of life.

"Do me a favor then?"

"Anything."

"Dance for me."

Maleficent smiled. "As you command."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Regina did her best to ignore Emma and Robin in the coming months. She had a child to think about. Belle had a child to think about. Once it was announced that Lily had successfully knocked up Ruby, the Queens of Darkness went into defense mode. It was all about preparing for the new arrivals. Another wing was added to the mansion for the nursery and a child's wonderland. Mal filled it with inflatable toys, ball pits, game systems and other toys to play with. It would probably be some time before the children would ever use it, but the blonde was far too excited for her dragonling. When they found out what they were having, Maleficent almost did a backflip. All three of their lovers were having girls. 3 more future Queens of Darkness. During that time, Mal even inducted Regina, Ruby and Belle into the faction, making them 6 strong, the most powerful they had ever been. It was not lost on Regina that Mal was still steadily buying up certain properties, but her newly wedded wife refused to give up her surprise. Regina also took an extra leave off of work to help prepare for the new arrivals, leaving the Charmings as head of the town. David's first instinct was to warn them of the new shape of authority, but honestly...threatening a dragon is the stupidest thing one could possibly do. Fortunately for him, Mal didn't seem to care. _Unfortunately_ for him, it pissed off Lily. Needless to say David ended up sharing the punishment of a broken jaw with his daughter. It just baffled Regina that they continued to antagonize the Queens. Usually they minded their own business, did their own thing, only occasionally breaking the law. And yet, the Charmings seemed to think they could leash the most magically talented people in town. Baffling.

/

Emma rubbed her newly healed jaw as she moved along the side of the house, careful to not make a sound. She passed by a window and heard Lily and Ruby talking.

"We could name her Anita." The dragon suggested.

"Thank you," Ruby said, "But she should have her own name."

"Alright then. Maybe something like...I don't know."

"We could name her after your grandparents. Just look up where they're names came from and-"

"That's perfect!"

Emma kept moving, not interested in their conversation. She moved as quickly as she dared, finding the apple tree she was looking for around the back of the house. Regina's room was on the second floor. She grabbed onto a branch and pulled herself up, praying silently that none of the apples would fall and alert the owners. She climbed up the thick branches and leaped onto the balcony, waiting several long minutes before peeking into the room. She smiled seeing Regina sitting on the bed, rubbing her stomach. Even though Emma hated the fact that Regina was pregnant with that stupid dragon's baby, but she couldn't help but admit that Regina looked beautiful heavy with child. She was glowing and Emma had never seen her smile so much in her life. She kept herself in shape, hardly putting on a lot of weight. Her hair at this point was past shoulder length and Emma's fingers itched to run through it. She swallowed, watching Regina. The former queen looked completely at ease, perfectly relaxed in the dim light of the bedroom. She looked cute when she tried to roll over to get more comfortable. Zelena rushed into view to help her.

"You look like a giant pumpkin." The witch giggled, helping her sister right herself and pushing a pillow behind her back so she could sit up.

"I feel like one. Where is Belle?"

"Sound asleep. Just like you should be."

Regina smirked. "I'm just waiting for Mal. I promised her we would cuddle before bed."

"Aw, how sickeningly cute." The redhead replied.

"Oh please, true cuteness is you and Belle. I'm glad you're happy." Regina touched Zelena's hand. "I know you will be an excellent mother."

"I hope so." Zelena said softly. "I don't want to disappoint Belle or our child."

"Never." Regina assured her. Zelena smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead before making her departure. Regina moved the pillow and rolled onto her side. Emma wanted to go to her. She wanted to make sure she was perfectly comfortable, give her a massage, bring her food in bed, she wanted to take care of Regina. She deserved Regina. Maleficent deserved nothing. Emma slowly reached for the handle of the balcony doors, but she froze hearing a door open and softly close. Maleficent came into view. A big grin took over Regina's face as she pulled the blonde into bed with her. Emma scowled, watching them smile and kiss each other and love each other like she wanted to be. She stiffened when Maleficent pressed a kiss to Regina's belly and then lowered her ear to see if she could hear their child. That should've been her child. Regina should've been her wife. Unconsciously she pulled out her gun. It would only take a second. One shot...straight through Maleficent's head. She could end all of her problems right then and there. But she decided against it and simply snapped a picture of the happy couple on her phone. She swiftly climbed down and made her way back into town.

Thinking back over what she had just witnessed, she realized that Maleficent wasn't the only threat to her happiness. The child was too. It would take all of Regina's attention, she would care less about Henry and Emma would lose her even further. She could use a sleeping curse...No, she didn't want Regina to be asleep. She wanted her awake so they could live their lives together. An aging curse? It was possible, but Regina would be stuck being pregnant and she didn't want that either, especially not when it was half Maleficent's spawn. If she could just get rid of it, she could find a way to make Regina love her.

With a sigh, she texted the picture to Robin from an unknown number, knowing that it would piss him off. She sent a caption too, about the child. Maleficent was not the only threat. If Robin could just lose his mind a little faster and just attack Maleficent, she could kill 2 birds with 1 stone and get him out of the way as well. She ground her teeth against the green lava steadily taking over her body. She didn't care about it anymore. She just wanted Regina.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It didn't take long for the birds to get hit with that stone. In fact, the very next night there was an attack. A brutal attack on the Queens of Darkness that left them broken and shattered. An attack in the night as they were walking home saw Mal, Ruby, Regina and Belle in the hospital. Mal suffered from multiple stab wounds. She recovered rather quickly but the rage that ensued didn't help at all. Ruby and Belle were caught in the middle but only suffered minor injuries. It was their leader and her mate who took the brunt of the attack that was almost an assassination. Regina was immediately taken into surgery.

Lily and Zelena attempted to hold Mal down so the witch could heal her wounds.

"Let me go, I have to get to Regina." Mal growled. She couldn't easily pushed them off but she didn't want to hurt anyone else.

"She hasn't gotten out of surgery." Lily hissed at her. "Let the doctors work. What are **we** going to do?"

Maleficent growled and sat up as Zelena finished healing her. "Take them prisoner. The Charmings, Robin Hood, all of the Merry Men. They will either tell me who did this or they will all pay the price for it. I will not live in fear of Regina one day leaving the house only to never return and I will not put her through that same pain." She sighed. "None of this stress is good for any of the children, especially not the mothers and Belle and Ruby shouldn't be caught in our mess."

"Mrs. Mills?" A doctor said, walking over. All three women sat up and faced the man whose grave expression was slowly chilling their blood. "Your wife sustained quite a few injuries. Um, a broken pelvis, broken ribs, someone deliberately attempted to force her to miscarry. It shattered the egg and the eggshells caused even more damage." Mal swallowed, for the first time in her life she felt cold. She felt numb. She felt as if someone had ripped out her heart. "We tried to save them…" Mal immediately looked up. "I'm so sorry."

"No." Lily whispered, starting to tremble. She would've fallen if Zelena hadn't caught her.

"Take me to her." Maleficent demanded. It couldn't be real. Regina had to live! Their child had to live! What would life be without them?

/

Emma rushed to the hospital after hearing that Regina was caught in Robin's stupid attack. If a hair on her head was harmed she was going to murder Robin this time. As soon as she stepped through the doors she heard the most gut wrenching scream she had ever heard. She followed the sound to the hospital room where Maleficent was crying over Regina's prone form. The air rushed out of the blonde's lungs seeing the heart monitor flatlining. "No…"

"You." Lily growled. Emma barely managed to raise her hands against the punch she knew was coming, but Lily swung with enough force that her own hands slammed back into her face and knocked her down. "Do you see what you've done? You killed my mother?!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	7. Chapter 7

There was nothing to stop Maleficent's grief. Her sadness, her rage, her anger, all of it just came pouring out and there was nothing her family could do to stop her. Lily had to take Ruby and Belle across town lines to be absolutely sure they were safe, and then she had to make sure her mother was safe. She had never seen Maleficent cry before, had never seen her break down. Even after getting stabbed and shot out of the sky, she hardly seemed to care. But now, Mal was broken and Lily couldn't help her. Honestly, she felt just as weak. Her mother was gone, and the other was in such a deep mourning it broke her heart. Zelena captured all of the culprits and brought them to the station, stuffing them all into cells. Emma immediately tried to get at Robin.

"He did it!" The blonde hissed, glaring at the thief. "How could you?!"

"This was never supposed to happen." Robin snapped. "You honestly think I would intentionally hurt Regina?!"

"Your men attacked her! You killed her!"

Zelena silently watched the exchange, watching as they berated and blamed each other for the loss of her sister. She couldn't properly grieve right now because of them. Because her sister didn't die, she was murdered. "She never wanted either of you." She said. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to her. "You killed my sister because of your envy, your greed! She didn't want you! Why couldn't you leave us in peace?!"

"I am her soulmate. We belong together, she said so herself." Robin said firmly, probably believing every word he spoke, as if Regina's rejections and disregard for him didn't matter. The only that mattered was this fairy dust soulmate crap.

"You're an idiot! A bland, tasteless, boring, idiot!" Zelena almost screamed. "The only reason she thought you were her soulmate was because of that lion tattoo. Without that, she wouldn't have given you the time of day and you know it. It might be different if you were slightly interesting, but you're not." She turned to Emma. "And you, stalking her, following her, calling a thousand times. She said no! She said she wanted nothing to do with you! Why continue?"

"I love her." Emma said softly.

"Loved. Because thanks to all of you she's dead! Not only that, but you kill her child as well-"

"Henry is her child." Emma glared at her, as if trying to hold on to this ridiculous fantasy.

"Henry was never her son. He broke her heart, he treated her like shit and you and your stupid family took him away. He's not her son and never will be. The child you killed would've been a better child to her than Henry ever was. He doesn't deserve his last name." She almost laughed when Emma threw herself at the bars of her cell trying to get at her. "It doesn't matter now because again, Regina is dead. And you all, who supposedly love her more than anyone else, will carry that burden forever. I hope you drown in it. I hope you suffer." She teleported back to the hospital to see if she could find Mal. The dragon was still in Regina's room but the doctor had rolled in a small bed. In it, were broken eggshells and the small form of a baby... "Mal…" Mal took a deep breath, blinking back tears as she laid eyes upon her youngest daughter for the first time. Sadly, her daughter would never grow up, would never know her mothers and her aunt and her sister. There was no future for her. It was taken, ripped from her by fools who just couldn't take a hint.

"What do I do?" The dragon whispered.

"Huh?"

"To punish those who did this. Death is far too easy." The blonde let out a shaky sigh and caressed her child. She made a gesture to the doctor and he took the bed away. "My baby, dead. My wife, my mate, dead. What do I do?"

Zelena came to kneel in front of her friend, her leader, her mentor, the woman who had taught her more than her mother ever had. "Mal, let's leave. We can take Regina and your baby and bury them, put them to rest and we can build a life somewhere else. Regina wouldn't want us to just stop."

"All that we've done in Storybrooke-"

"We can still work on it. Maybe even come back one day. But we can't stay here like this. **You** can't. Please."

Mal sighed deeply and Zelena took her shaking hands and kissed them. "So be it. But the ones who did this...must pay."

"They already are. They're at each other's throats."

"It's not enough." The older woman looked away for a while before standing up. "Release me. I must...destroy things." Zelena nodded and stepped back. The dragon left the room and Zelena looked down at Regina. By now they had unhooked her from the machines and cleaned her up, but all the color had drained from her. Pale, lifeless, cold, it made her sick to see a woman so vibrant and full of life, who had fought so hard, be reduced to so little.

"They'll pay for this. I promise."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time the sun was setting that day, the Queens of Darkness had packed up to leave and Maleficent had expended her energy in destroying parts of the town and the forest. The dragon sat behind the wheel of Regina's Mercedes at the town line, silently thinking of the past weeks and the recent revenge she had been able to obtain. She wouldn't kill Emma or Robin. Death was too easy of an end. However, both did receive wounds that would never heal, reminders of crossing the Mistress of All Evil, reminders not to fuck with the Great Beast. Both endured severe burns to their right arms that would never completely heal. Emma would walk with a permanent limp now after Mal shattered her knee and ankle and Robin...would never shoot a bow again. She just didn't understand it. Common sense would tell you stay away from the wife and mate of a dragon. She'd already broken their jaws, paralyzed them, what more could she do to them to get them to leave them alone? She didn't want to kill them, what with Henry and Roland being in the way but…

"Hey. Stop thinking so hard." A soft hand reached over to touch hers and she looked over into the passenger seat. "You, my dear, are quite the little actress." Regina smirked, one hand rubbing their stomach where their little baby was safely tucked away.

"Blame Lily, it was her idea. A positively evil one. Can't imagine what the idiots will do if they find out you're still alive."

"They are not my concern." Regina gave her hand a squeeze. "Never were. They can do what they want. We, however," She held up the map. "Have some mothers-in-law to find. After I get the baby out of my stomach of course."

Mal smiled. Emma and Robin lost their minds when they lost Regina the first time. Mal taking her away for a vacation and then returning, only to find Regina married and pregnant, made them even crazier. So their solution was to take Regina away completely. Let them eat their hearts out, drown in their own guilt, thinking they had killed the Evil Queen. Although, with all the wards and protection charms Mal had covered her in, Regina could step on a landmine and be perfectly fine. "I love you. I don't ever want to think about losing you."

"Don't. I have fought my entire life for a happy ending. Now that I bagged me a rich Milf, I can live the high life." Regina grinned.

"What's a milf?" Mal frowned.

"You. Duh. Where to first?"

"I'm thinking France."

"The city of love. I agree. Are we buying a house overlooking the Rhine? We would have to learn French."

"Then we will learn French." Mal said, starting the car. She honked twice and Lily and Zelena honked behind her. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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A/N: You guys really thought I was going to kill Regina? And her baby? I would never... Well, we're far from done so enjoy the happy times for now.


	8. Chapter 8

Snow in Paris. One of the most breathtaking sights Regina had ever seen. Almost 10 years later and her life had been filled with such experiences. Because of Mal, she had done one of the many things she had been denied growing up on her father's estate: see the world. They traveled from Peru to Australia to England to Alaska to Columbia to Egypt and that was just the bare minimum. They even visited other worlds through the use of Zelena's ruby slippers. They were still going to new places and experiencing new things, making new memories. It was almost the perfect life.

"Regina, come on!" Zelena called. "Move those feet or I'm beating you with a baguette."

Regina rolled her eyes but ran to catch up to her big sister nonetheless. They walked to the car and got in and Zelena drove them expertly through the icy streets. Snow blanketed almost everything and the magnificent city became a winter wonderland.

"You act like you've never seen snow before." Her sister commented.

"I have but I never got to really experience it." Regina said. It was either because she was locked in the house by her mother or too focused on hunting Snow to notice anything else. She hardly used to take time to enjoy and appreciate the seasons. Now, she had plenty of time to do whatever she wanted.

"Hmm." Was all Zelena said. They passed into their territory, a plot of land surrounding their mansion home that Mal had purchased, a bit of a small homestead to give them privacy. As soon as their large house came into view, Zelena quickly parked and exited the car. Regina followed and as soon as she closed the door, something slammed into the side of her face. Her first reaction was shock, then anger as she could feel the ice down the front of her jacket and shirt. She spun towards Zelena and received another snowball to the face. "Now you can experience it. Even I, of all people, have had a snowball fight." She gathered up some more snow and threw it but Regina ducked this time. Regina burst into a grin and quickly scooped up some snow to throw, hitting Zelena in the side of her face and making her squeal in shock at the cold.

"We did not properly prepare for this." Regina laughed, watching with glee as the redhead tried to pull the snow out of her shirt. Both were wearing their favorite coats and boots and that was mostly it to fight the cold.

"No, we didn't but I'm going to win!"

/

Maleficent heard all laughing and screaming from upstairs. She peered out of the window and smiled at seeing her mate and her sister-in-law flinging snow back and forth like they were crazy. She snapped a picture with a camera and put it away before making her way downstairs. By then, everyone else had run outside to join in the game. However, when Mal put on her coat and stepped outside, the front yard was empty… She frowned and walked down to the grass. No footprints, no disturbances in the snow. She heard a giggle and turned around only to be bombarded by snowballs. She sighed, knowing it was coming. Everyone waited to see if she would be pissed. She smirked and snapped her fingers, causing a wave of snow to hit them all in the back. After that the snowball fight became more of a brawl, with people getting tackled and shoved into the snow. Which was exactly why Maleficent found herself laughing that evening at everyone sitting on the couches in the living room, bundled up.

"Shut up, Mal." Regina said. "At least I have my own personal heating pad." She opened the blanket she was wrapped in to show that their little girl was in her arms. Being half dragon, she gave off a lot of heat like Mal. The dragon queen smiled at the sight of their youngest child. Her name was Melisandre. She was born with golden skin, not quite as tanned as Regina's though, and she had Regina's thick, black hair that at the moment she refused to cut and so it almost reached her legs but she had bright blue eyes like her blonde mom and added a small blonde streak in her hair because of her. It could be Mal's motherly bias speaking but she considered the little girl one of the most amazing people she knew.

On the floor was Sarai, their granddaughter and the daughter of Ruby and Lily. She was a beautiful dark haired, brown eyed ball of fire that demanded to burn everything in her sight. Being part wolf and part dragon, she rarely got cold and was in no danger of getting sick. Even now, being a little bundle of energy, she was wrestling with Lily on the floor.

Wrapped up next to Belle on the other crouch across the room was their niece, Jade, Zelena and Belle's daughter, a young genius in the making. She was a pretty girl, sporting fiery red hair like her mum, fierce hazel eyes, a nose covered in freckles and a mind that would not stop working just like her brunette mother. It took her half an hour to read novels and she could almost parrot it back to you word for word. She had an incredible memory.

All three children lived a life of luxury and adventure, going with their mothers on trips all over the world. They were homeschooled so they had plenty of time to devote to travel. Life was absolutely perfect for all of them. Except there was one minor problem. Outside of Storybrooke, their magic didn't work as well. Only able to cast small spells, it put them at a disadvantage, especially when the kids were starting to become more interested in magic. Not to mention that Mal, Lily or Ruby hadn't changed into their beast forms in years. They could've changed forms in the other worlds, but not every one used magic and going to the Enchanted Forest took a lot more energy than they willing to expend. The slippers needed to be charged almost and charging them with magical energy was especially difficult being in this world. It took a year of charge to go there the first time. They had a solution for this, although it wouldn't be implemented until the kids' next birthdays.

Mal came to sit next to Regina and Mel and gave them each a kiss. "It's not my fault you wanted to play in the snow like a child. How about I make us some hot chocolate and put on a movie?"

"Yes, please." Mel said. Regina kissed the top of her head. Ruby added some more wood to the fireplace while Mal made her family some hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. By the time she returned, Mel had joined in the wrestling match. "Join us, Jade." She called, currently pinned to the ground with Sarai by Lily.

"All of you like are like half some fearsome animal. I'm smart enough to know a human wouldn't stand a chance." Jade replied. "Besides, up here there's cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate."

Mal couldn't resist purring just at the sight of all of her family. Sure the Queens of Darkness was meant to be this powerful, evil faction, but there was really no place she'd rather be than here.

Lily suddenly snatched a laughing Sarai up and carried her back to the front door. "One more dump in the snow?"

"Mom, no!" Sarai said. "Mom!" Ruby simply waved at her. She reached out to Mel. "Auntie, help me!"

"Before I help you, I want to pick from your stash." Melisendra said, crossing her arms.

"Me too." Jade added. "I'm not going to help you but I know where the stash is, so unless you want the location spread to the entire household, I would like a pack of Oreos."

"You conniving little-"

"Rai." Ruby said sternly, arching an eyebrow. "Language. Watch it."

"What stash are they talking about?" Mal asked.

Mel looked at Jade. "You know where the stash is? Well, never mind then, Rai, you're on your own. It'll be empty by the time you get back."

Lily snickered as she carried Sarai outside and dumped her in a pile of snow. She returned moments later to chase Mel and Jade upstairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The chilly air had bite to it but Regina only closed her eyes and sighed against the icy nip to her cheeks. It was just light enough for a ride and she had promised her little girl that they would go today. She usually kept it simple when it came to riding, just the basics. Mal had purchased for her and Mel a pair of lovely white horses, suitably named Ice and Mist. Regina peeked over her shoulder, smiling at seeing a happy Mel riding right behind her. A sunset over the frozen landscape was just perfect. This life was perfect.

Regina slowed down to a walk to allow Mel to catch up. "Are you getting cold?"

"No, I love it. Can we race on the way back?" There was a momentary sense of panic at her request remembering the last time she had seen a little girl on a horse. Her daughter scoffed when she noticed Regina's lack of an answer. "Mom, I'm not Snow. I did a backflip off of Ice the other day."

"Yes, after I told you not to." Regina arched an eyebrow at her smirking child.

"Well, you know what Ma says. Life is meant to be lived. That includes a few scrapes, bruises...broken bones…"

Regina rolled her eyes. "That's because Mal is immortal. She has nothing **but** life to live. And she can heal those scrapes and bruises and broken bones in seconds. You can't."

"But she can heal **my** scrapes and bruises and broken bones in seconds." Melisandre pointed out.

"Okay, you got me. We can race back."

"Speaking of healing stuff, when will I start learning magic?"

"When you can stop doing backflips off of horses after I tell you not to." Regina replied.

"Touché." Mel grinned. "What about our birthdays? Are we going somewhere this year?"

"Don't we go someplace every year?"

"Yes, of course, but...where?"

"Tell you what." Regina brought Mist to a halt and turned her around. "Beat me back to the stables and I'll tell you." Mel burst into a wide grin and turned Ice around. "Ready?"

"Born ready."

"Ready...set...go!" They both gave their horses a kick and took off across the white forest, spraying up snow in their wake. She smiled as Mel passed her, letting wild cries of happiness as she did so. Her daughter was an excellent rider by now, but Regina was a master, and as much as she loved Mel, she was not going to let her win. Just as the small stables came into view, she and Mist put on a burst of speed, surging past the others to reach the doors first. Cody opened them for her and she dismounted to lead her horse inside.

"One day, I will beat you." Mel said.

"I await it." She replied. The pair set about removing the horse tack and brushing down the beasts.

"So," She said. "There is a possibility of us one day returning to Storybrooke." Mel sat on a hay bale, listening to her words while she leaned on the door of Mist's stall. "That's not your surprise for this year, don't worry. It's just that...I don't think we've ever properly talked about the Evil Queen. If we were to go back, I know you would notice...the glares, the mutterings, the curses. Even after being me and saving the town and raising Henry, the evil part wouldn't go away." She sighed, remembering those years of struggling and trying to be better, only for it all to fall apart.

"Mom," Mel gestured for her to walk towards him so she did, taking her hands. "First and foremost, you are my mom. That comes before anything else and it won't ever change. I don't care about the Evil Queen or what some irrelevant idiots have to say, unless it's something bad. I won't tolerate **anyone** disrespecting my moms. I'm with you, 100%. Anyone who tries to mess with that can go eat a fireball."

"Thank you." Regina smiled.

"Mom, there is nothing to thank. That's how you should be treated and how will be treated from now on."

"Alright, let's get you into a hot bath and get ready to wash all of this damn hair." Mel hopped down and followed her back to the house. She had to take couple deep breaths to adjust to all the love she was constantly feeling from her child. Once she and Mal had helped Mel with the long process involved in washing all of her hair, she excused herself for a place to think.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was night when Mal walked out to the pool, finding steam rising off of it and Regina sitting on the steps with the water up to her neck. "You'll catch a cold out here." She said.

"I drank an enchantment." Regina replied, continuing to stare off into space. Mal arched an eyebrow curiously, but she didn't interrupt her mate's thoughts. It took a few minutes for Regina to speak again. "Our daughter is amazing."

Mal smiled. "We know that."

"I talked to her a little bit...about the Evil Queen." Mal snapped her fingers, changing her dress into a bathing suit and slid into the water next to her wife. "Just in case we do decide to go back to Storybrooke...I know we haven't come to a conclusion yet, especially with everyone thinking I'm dead."

"You know, we can just send Zelena back to get what we need." Mal reasoned. Their solution to their problem of no magic was to simply take the magic from Storybrooke. There were few magic users in the town with all of them gone and they didn't care about anyone else, so win-win.

"What about all your properties. You were buying them for a reason and you still maintain them."

"It was meant to be a surprise for you." Mal sighed. "I brought about 2 blocks worth of properties and had them renovated." Regina turned to look at her. "It was meant to be just a beautiful place, full of shops, diners, fountains, clubs, music. A section of Storybrooke that was ours, so you wouldn't have to feel so alone with the other idiots. The renovations were complete a couple years ago, but we closed most of everything down because...well, if you couldn't see it, what was the point?" It was going to be beautiful, breathtaking even, a street to make Bourbon Street jealous...all for Regina. Just to make Storybrooke a little better.

"I'm sorry you spent so much time and money-"

Mal pecked her lips, silencing her protests. "It was more than worth it. Besides, I would rather you never see it than ever take you back there and have Crazy and Crazier try to hurt you or Mel."

"Or you." Regina replied. "You were the one almost assassinated."

"I didn't exactly help the situation."

"What do you mean?" Regina tilted her head as the dragon swam forward, rolling onto her back before planting her feet at the bottom of the pool.

"I told them that I would steal their girl. I did." She shrugged with a smirk.

"I expected nothing less." Her wife smiled.

"Well, honestly, you are mine and you've always been mine and always will be, so really...technically…" She smirked at Regina's barely contained giggling. "They were fools to think they could ever have you."

"Dragons." Regina scoffed.

"Truth." The blonde countered. "What's our score?" She asked, wading back to her wife.

"317 or something. We've done everything there is to do sexually." Regina sighed. "What else is there?" The pair were quiet as they thought. They had already done a few google searches to try and keep their little game entertaining but they were running out of ideas. "What if we invite Amaunet back?"

"We've already done a threesome." Mal tilted her head, remembering that night with incredible fondness. Amaunet was a delectable Egyptian beauty who they had befriended during their last trip to Africa and their favorite lover to call if they wanted a little company in the bedroom. There were others, but Amaunet was regarded as the best. "What about darkness?" Mal asked as the idea hit her.

"What do you mean?"

"Complete darkness. No light, just sound, just...pleasure."

Regina slowly grinned. "Let's do it. But not tonight. Tomorrow, Ruby and Lily are taking the kids to some kind of trampoline world. We should have plenty of time then."

"Excellent." Mal kissed her lips. "Wow, your lips are so soft."

Regina giggled softly. "Have you seen **your** lips?"

"You're always talking about my lips. Are they big or something?"

"No, just plump." Regina smirked, giving her bottom lip a little nip. "And perfect." She yelped when Mal suddenly picked her up. With a quick word of magic, they were dry and she was swiftly carried into the house.

"Good night, Mamas." Lily said as they passed the kitchen where she and Ruby were having a late night snack. Belle and Zelena were far too busy cuddling and kissing on the couch to notice anything beyond themselves. They were usually wrapped in their own little world so it didn't surprise either woman. Mal carried Regina upstairs with ease and flashed a bright smile before tossing her across the room and onto the bed...which she almost bounced off of.

"Mal, what the-" Mal snapped her fingers, extinguishing all light in the room and sending them into darkness. Regina suddenly moaning made her frown in confusion before she remembered her marks. "Mal, I do believe I specifically said-" Mal rubbed her hands together furiously and smirked when she saw flames spark around the bed, an involuntary reaction from her wife. It illuminated Regina just enough for her to see her writhing on the bed, gasping in pleasure. "Is that how you want to play this, Mal?" Regina asked, her breathing starting to slow. Her voice dropped and Mal growled softly at how sexy it sounded.

"Yes, dear. Come on. Let's consider this the winning point."

"And then what?" Her head whipped around after hearing Regina almost behind her. "We start over? We end it?"

"No, satisfying you is one of the best parts of being your wife and a full time job that I take very seriously."

Regina almost giggled and she grinned. "How about we play a game of control?"

"Explain."

"Well, first off, I don't care if we have to go back to Storybrooke to do it, but you're getting marked because this shit is unfair." Maleficent burst into laughter at Regina's annoyed tone.

"Okay. Deal."

"The rules are, one of us makes a request of the other. If the request is not fulfilled, then that person gives up control when we have sex." Regina said.

"So essentially, if you tell me to do something and I don't, you get to be on top?"

"You have to do whatever I say and to make the request official, you must say _please, dear_. So, shall we play?"

"And if we both refuse to yield?"

"Then no one will have total control."

Mal slowly nodded. "Alright then. We begin tomorrow at dawn."

"Yes, but tonight, you will pay."

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The next day, the kids were burning with questions, so after breakfast, Ruby and Lily took them down into the training room. Even being away from Storybrooke, Mal never stopped their lessons and the basement of this house was outfitted to be almost the same as the one in Storybrooke was. Even the kids were trained. Defense and martial arts was a must as Mal wanted them to be able to defend themselves should the need ever arise. However, Ruby and Lily lead them through the training room to the small storage room behind it. Inside, it was warm and the floor was carpeted. Trunks and wardrobes lined the walls which the girls rushed to open.

"Whoa." Sarai said in awe as Lily pulled out the giant battle axe she used to use. It was different than the one she had paid $100,000 for because during a sparring match between her and her mother, Mal had snapped it with a single swing of her staff. In return, Mal forged her a new one. It was made from a precious metal that Mal claimed had been part of a fallen star. The blade had been expertly crafted and softly glowed. The handle was red and crafted from an ancient tree, the very same that had been used to craft Mal's staff. It was one of the most powerful weapons ever created, worthy of a dragon. She only trained with it now, but it was still a beautiful weapon. Lily smiled and placed it in Sarai's hands.

"Does Mom have a weapon?" Mel asked, searching through a wardrobe of Regina's many Evil Queen dresses.

"Yeah." Lily walked over to a weapon case and opened it. Inside it was Mal's staff, Zelena's broomstick that had been converted into a staff that Mal made for her, and Regina's staff that Mal made as well. "These are theirs." She glanced over her shoulder at Ruby lazily twirling the long red blade that Mal made her as well. Honestly, Mal had made all of their weapons. "If we go back to Storybrooke, Mom could make you guys some as well." She conjured a chair and sat down to watch the kids go through the trunks, fascinated with the former lives of their mothers. But they would never fully be able to utilize and realize their true power if they were in the Land Without Magic. Lily knew her mothers were reluctant to return to the small town and the idiots living in it, but they also wanted the kids to be able to experience all of the magic in their blood, all of the power they were born to wield. Perhaps they needed to take another trip to the Enchanted Forest. The kids were too young the last time they'd visited to really know about it. They would still need power to do that though and Storybrooke remained their only solution.

She looked up when Mel stood up, holding Regina's crown in her hands. After all these years, it had lost its luster. The diamonds had fallen off, the metal was dented, dust clung to the intricate designs. "Why wouldn't she protect her crown?" Her sister asked softly.

"Because it wasn't important." Ruby stated matter of factly. "Once Leopold was dead, she didn't even wear it anymore. This," She bent next to Mel and gently took the crown from her hands. "Is just a pretty piece of metal and Regina knows that. When you look at your mother, what do you see? Do you see a queen?"

"Yes."

"Even without her crown?"

Mel nodded. "She's a queen either way. I know she didn't want to be one, but...no one can take that away from her."

"Nope, but who cares about a crown? Maleficent technically was never royalty in our world, but she is still known as the Dragon Queen. Crowns and thrones are just decoration for people like your mothers, who are twice as strong and valuable as they are. Just think, Regina without a crown is what?"

"...Regina?"

"Yes, without all the rules, all the bullshit. We're all lucky to see Regina now, see who she really is, without the darkness and the madness."

Mel looked down at the crown before tossing it back into the trunk. Lily smirked a little and wiggled her finger at her mate. Ruby walked over and bowed her head for a kiss. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Of course. In a wolf pack, it is everyone's job to educate the pups."

"Ooh, look at this!" Sarai called, swinging on Ruby's red cloak with a gleeful grin. The large thing almost drowned her in red fabric, but she seemed so happy to hold something that was a piece of her mother. Jade meanwhile had found Zelena's old wardrobe and it was full of her favorite hats and dresses.

"How did they breathe in this stuff?" She asked.

"And walk in these." Mel added, holding up one of Regina's stilettos. "The heel is almost as long as my arm."

"One day," Lily said. "None of this will surprise you. The key to being a villain is do with it with flair. Have fun with it, play with it, do whatever you fucking want to do. Little Red here took a lot of time to learn that." Ruby smirked at her. "You know, one of our family mottos is Fuck The Heroes."

"It should be: Redemption Is Overrated." Jade said. "I mean, you can't tell the Queens of Darkness want to do, how to be."

"Unless you want to eat a fireball." Sarai grinned.

"I think the family motto is Eat A Fireball." Melisandre laughed.

Lily smiled. It truly felt amazing to be a part of a family, especially a big one. She almost couldn't fathom being alone anymore. They spent the day in the storage room before heading back upstairs to where the rest of the family were in the living room, talking.

"We've come to a decision." Mal said. "After the kids' birthdays and summer arrives, we'll return to Storybrooke. That'll give us plenty of time to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Lily asked.

"Well, we're going for various reasons. The kids will be able to try out their beast forms, we'll be able to increase our supply of magic, and," She pulled out the map that would lead to her parents. "We'll finally complete our family."

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	9. Chapter 9

The only people in Storybrooke who knew that Regina wasn't dead were Gold, Tink and Roland. Tink had often visited them outside the town and Roland had a phone that he used to contact them. The fairy arranged to meet them at the border under the cover of darkness.

Tink grinned and ran into Regina's arms as she stepped out of the car. The former queen was wearing one of her signature pants suits but had a hooded jacket on to hide her face, just in case. The last thing they needed was for the Crazies to find out that she was alive before they were ready and she wasn't taking any chances. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Tink, but we can catch up later. I need to know what we're walking into."

"You won't find much resistance or anything. Everything is boring, dead, lifeless. Emma doesn't care about anything anymore. Her parents and Henry have pretty much given up. She's usually drunk or sleeping, although passed out would be a more appropriate word."

"And Robin?"

"You'll get more information out of Roland about him. After Robin and Emma thought you died, they almost killed each other. The only way there would be peace was for the Merry Men to be banished to the forest. They can't come into town because Emma doesn't want to see their faces. Roland is the only one allowed because he meant a lot to you. But there's something else."

Regina arched an eyebrow, glancing around. "What is it?"

"Before you left, Emma thought she could use magic to prolong your life. A last ditch effort to keep you alive when she thought you were dying in the hospital. An aging curse to freeze time."

"You're telling me Henry is still 12 years old?"

"Yes, but Roland is almost the same age now."

"How is that possible?" Belle asked.

"It's what happens when fools play with magic." Zelena answered. "Emma can barely light a candle, much less cast a curse."

"Go to the well and siphon off the magic." Mal commanded. "See if you can break this stupid curse as well. She's not very advanced so something is probably connected to the curse. Destroy it and return to the house." Zelena nodded and teleported away with Belle. She turned to Lily and Ruby. "Get the kids and Regina to the house. Settle in. We'll go talk to the idiots in the morning-"

"And Regina? Wait a minute." Regina grabbed her hand and made her pause to look at her. "What are you going to do?"

"Talk to Gold about this map. Apparently, it's not a map of this world. It's one called the Forbidden Lands. I need information before we open a portal."

"May I accompany you, _please, dear_?" Mal glared at her before nodding.

"I would prefer that you-"

"Mal, we both know I'm not going to do that."

"Fine."

The group split up and Regina got into the car with Mal to drive to Gold's. At night the town looked desolate, unkempt. Most of the buildings were in need of a paint job, many of the street lights weren't even on and it looked like a couple stores had been vandalized. "Looks terrible." she commented.

"It does." Mal agreed.

Regina sighed, looking at how far her precious town had fallen. Months of planning and designing mostly down the drain. "It's been 10 years. Are they really that upset? Even I managed to move on from a broken heart."

"It took you more than 10 years." Mal replied. "But I suppose if you hadn't stayed with Leopold and Snow and been reminded every day of that loss, things would be different. Considering they remained in a town you built, with people you cursed, I'd say they were surrounded by reminders too."

"Then should I stay a secret? Let them move on?"

"No. You can't live your life walking on eggshells because Dumb and Dumber are heartbroken. They will move on whether you're dead or alive. Of course it will hurt. Of course they will be angry. But they tried to murder me, our child and nearly killed you. There is no "sorry", no "but I love you", that will ever fix that. If everyone who got their hearts broken went crazy and tried to kill their ex's new lover, the world would be a madhouse."

"I get that." Regina said. "I just wish it hadn't come to this."

"Me too."

The pair was silent for the rest of the ride and thankfully, Gold was up when they arrived.

"Well if it isn't the former Madame Mayor." Gold smirked from behind his counter. "I'm guessing Miss Swan and the thief don't know you're back yet. If I had known you were coming, I would've called them. That would've been entertaining at least."

"I will speak to Emma and Robin on my terms, Gold. I would appreciate it if you kept my arrival a secret."

"Oh, so you want to make a deal?" He grinned.

"Cut the crap, Gold." Mal said. "What are the Forbidden Lands?"

"A world like any other?" He shrugged, walking into the back and returning with an old book. He flipped through it for a moment. "Ah, yes. A world specifically created to house the worst of your kind. The entire land is cursed, you can't eat the food or drink the water or you can never leave, blah, blah…" He turned a few more pages before just holding out the book. Mal reached for it and he moved it back.

"What do you want now? To be an audience when Regina comes back from the dead?"

"Of course."

"You really are bored."

"You have no idea, but really, I just want to meet the children. I've very good with them. And after all, I am a dear friend." He smirked.

"Fine." She took the book and Regina's hand, quickly leading her out of the pawn shop. "That man annoys me so much." Regina smiled and kissed her hand, choosing to say nothing for the moment. Mal held her hand as she drove them back through the small town, passing the place where her mansion once stood.

"Mal, stop." The dragon hit the brakes. Regina squinted into the dim light, seeing a figure sitting on her old porch. "It's Emma." She looked at her wife who simply nodded. They both got out of the car and Mal walked behind her as she approached the babbling blonde. Her hair was a mess and and even in the darkness Regina could see her red eyes. Not to mention the tall bottle of liquor she held in her hand. "Miss Swan, what are you doing?" Emma slowly looked up at her, a range of emotions crossing her countenance until she settled on indifference. She tossed the bottle to the side and rubbed her eyes. Regina waved her hand and cleared away the fog of the alcohol, cleaning up the blonde and healing her. "Is that better?"

Emma looked up at her and slowly rose to her feet. "Regina? You're alive?"

"She never died." Mal said.

"What?" Emma shook her head before suddenly throwing her arms around Regina's neck. "I thought you were dead." She stepped back. "What do you mean you never died?"

"I mean, I was never dead. I faked it." Regina said, brushing off her hands.

"What? You mean to tell me you've been gone for 10 years, not dead. You just leave? Then you show up now- I mourned you. Do you get that? I cried for you." The happiness in Emma's eyes disappeared in an instant, replaced by nothing but anger. "What about Henry? He thought he lost his mother!"

"Watch your tone." Mal growled. "I suggest you lower that volume just a little bit or I will be tearing out your tongue."

"Fuck you." Emma snapped. "I know this was your idea anyway."

"No, it wasn't." Regina stepped between them, gaining the blonde's attention again. "You attempted to murder my wife and my child. You hurt Ruby and Belle, while they were pregnant no less. You and Robin deserved death, but we spared you and we left and we lived our lives."

"Well, what about us? You get a new family, some new friends and you just drop us?!"

"I was nothing here!" Regina screamed. "Nothing. You might've loved me once-"

"I still do! I always have!" Emma roared.

"You goaded Robin and his men to attack us! You told him my baby was a threat!"

"He's the one who attacked you!"

"And you blinded Mal so he could shoot her." Regina returned. "Lily hacked into your phones the day we left. We know everything. I talked to Gold that day too. I know about that as well." She snapped her fingers and the green spot on Emma's arm and hand was revealed. She was a little confused as to why it would still be there though. "I left because of you, Emma. Because you left me no choice. You and Robin were threats to the people I love, to my own child. Why would I ever stay here for that?"

"I loved you." Emma hissed, grinding her teeth together. "I wanted to be a family, you, me and Henry. You were all set for that to happen and then she steps into the picture." She threw at a smirking Mal. "And you just forget all about that."

Regina ran her hands through her hair. She was literally trembling with anger, with confusion...Just… "You and your little buddy tried to KILL MY WIFE AND CHILD! What is not registering about that? We broke up, lots of people do it. They don't try to murder their ex's new lover and child. The way I see it, you're as guilty as Robin is."

"And just as crazy." Mal added. "Let's go, Regina. You know the kids will be up bright and early tomorrow."

"Wait, kids?" Emma asked.

"Our baby survived." Regina said simply, following Mal back to the car.

"Regina, wait!"

Mal didn't wait. She pressed the pedal to the floor and roared off. They made it back to the mansion in record time but neither made a move to get out of the car. "If that's how Emma acts, I'm going to kill Robin." Regina said.

"Then we can just adopt Roland." Mal replied, making her smile. "But in all seriousness, don't worry. They can't do anything to us that they haven't tried already and if they come up with something new, then they will die. Simple."

"Yes, very simple." Regina sighed.

"Come on, let's get to bed." They both got out of the car and Mal almost flattened Regina to the ground when the front door exploded off its hinges. All three of their crazy children came barrelling out, throwing fireballs at each other like they were insane. "Oh for the love of the gods. Hey!" Mal snapped. All three took off running and Mal gave chase. Regina laughed and picked herself off the ground. She dusted herself off as Lily and Ruby came outside.

"I swear I didn't teach them anything. They just did it." Lily said.

"It's fine, dear. They have to learn sometime. Tomorrow is going to be funny though."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

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"This is not as fun as I thought it would be." Mel said. "Why are these things so heavy?" She asked. Regina couldn't resist laughing at her daughter. She was currently in her cute little dragon form, sitting on her head because her horns were so heavy she fell over. She looked so much like Mal. Dark as night with a slender build akin to her blonde mother's and two dual horns on the top of her head, except her horns were spiraled, like Kudu horns and they were a bit too large for her. "Mommy!" Regina leaned down and pushed her over. There was a thud nearby and she started laughing again at Sarai walking in circles with her head almost dragging the ground. Her form was much different being part dragon and part wolf. She had a wolf's body with scales along her head, down her spine, covering her chest and belly, to the tip of her tail that was the tail of a dragon except covered in fur. Two horns sat atop her head, also a product of Mal's gene pool and she had two wings that were currently dragging the ground.

"Keep your wings up, Rai, so they don't get dirty." Lily said, leaning her large head down to nuzzle her daughter.

"If you could tell me how to do that, I would love to do as you say, but- aaah!" She tripped over said wings and slammed into the ground. "This is crap! This is complete and utter bull-"

"Rai." Ruby warned from where she was warming her fur in the sun. Across the yard, Mal was stretching her wings, warming them next to Lily, who was mostly just sitting next to her, snickering at the kids.

"This is so hard." Mel growled, walking into Regina's leg. "I'm so glad our misery is amusing you, MOTHERS!" Regina almost snorted as she bent and righted Mel's head. "But they're heavy."

"They will get lighter in time. Here," She offered a little of her magical energy to give her daughter some of her strength. "That better?"

"Yeah. I can see where I'm going now." Regina smiled and did the same for Sarai.

"Thank you, Grandma, but can you get rid of these stupid wings."

"You don't want to fly?"

"No, I want to learn how to walk first." Regina nodded and removed her wings, only for her to trip over her tail.

She laughed and went to take a seat next to her sister as the two attempted to race over to Mal. "Where's Jade?" She ventured to ask.

"She was a little bored, so I told her to pick an animal and I would change her into it-" Zelena started to say until a figure dashed between them and ran over to Mel and Sarai, knocking them over. It was Jade of course, in the form of a golden monkey. "Isn't she cute?" Zelena said.

Regina smiled. "Yes, they all are."

"Heard you talked to Emma last night." Belle said from behind her as she came out of the house. Zelena conjured a chair for her and she sat down. "Can't imagine that was fun."

"It was like I never even left. Same argument. I get that I broke her heart but trying to kill Mal and sending Robin as an assassin to kill my daughter is a little extreme. She doesn't seem to get that. Did you break the aging curse?"

"Yes, she was using a small fairy crystal she probably found in the mines. We destroyed it and time should flow normally again." Zelena answered.

"Good. I should go find Roland and bring him to meet the kids."

"You might not have to." Zelena suddenly got to her feet, her staff appearing in her hand almost instantly. Mal roared and Regina got up as well. Ruby was rushing the kids back to the house and Lily and Mal were growling, watching the trees nearby. Regina conjured the staff Mal had made for her. It was a deadly, black weapon that had a hidden blade in it. Zelena's was the same. The sisters approached the dragons and tried to find why they were so upset. Then she saw them. The Merry Men walked out of the woods, Robin and Roland at the head. Roland burst into a smile when he saw her and started to run to her, but Robin grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from moving. "What is this?" Zelena demanded.

Robin put a finger to his lips as he sauntered forward, almost holding Roland as a hostage. "Seems a little too comfortable in territory not his own." Ruby growled, coming to their side, her teeth bared for a fight. Robin made a sshing motion again as he came to stand in front of Regina. He looked like absolute hell. He looked like he'd lost weight and was in desperate need of a haircut and a shave. Roland didn't seem to be faring much better. He was much thinner than she last saw him and his beautiful curly hair looked like it had been hacked off with an axe. He didn't seem hurt at least.

"10 years." Robin sighed, his voice barely above a whisper. "10 years, I have wallowed in the mires of guilt and shame, thinking I had murdered my soulmate." Regina opened her mouth to speak, but he raised a finger again so she rolled her eyes. "10 years, I thought you dead. I thought I had killed you!" He suddenly roared. Ruby snarled and Lily roared, moving closer. Robin didn't give either of them a second glance. "I drank myself into stupor every night. My men were banished from town. We've had to live in the woods, which we're used to, you know, but, let's just say that Emma tried to make life as hard as possible for us. For my son."

"That's not my fault. It's yours." Regina scoffed.

"I thought I killed my soulmate."

"Please stop with that soulmate nonsense. That's all you know how to say. If it weren't for that, we might not have been together in the first place. Bottom of the line is...you attempted to kill my wife and child and you injured two of my closest friends and family. Roland is the only reason we spared you before, we won't allow mercy again. I suggest you crawl back into your little pit of guilt and shame and rot because you are a despicable man, a delusional man who has lost his mind." She said. And again, it was as if he wasn't hearing her words. They might as well have gone in one ear and out the other. He reached for her and she allowed it, for the moment. She knew she was in no real danger, not with the other Queens right beside her.

"One day, I always hoped to join you. In death." He said softly, releasing his hold on Roland, who rubbed his shoulder. It made her scowl a little. Was he hurting Roland? Was he really that gone? "I'd hoped to be with you then, like I never was in life."

"Well, you won't be getting either of those wishes, because you're mad, Robin. You need help." She whispered.

Robin tilted his head. "When I thought you died, I must say, I was a little happy."

"Is that so?" She pushed his hand away and his face twisted in anger for the briefest moment.

"Yes, because I would rather see you dead than in the arms of a beast." His words shocked her. The smile that adorned his face as he stepped back, it turned her blood cold. "Welcome home, Regina."

Regina quickly tripped him with her staff. Zelena grabbed Roland and tossed her her staff, the blades of both weapons clicking out simultaneously. She stabbed Robin in the shoulder with one and impaled the other next to his head. The Merry Men were quick to draw their bows, but Zelena raised a shield around them. She crouched down next to Robin's head, knocking the staff in his shoulder and eliciting a pained groan. " If you ever threaten me or my family again, I will kill you. This is your last and final warning. Next time, this staff will be buried in your face." She leaned down a little closer and allowed a smirk to shine through. "I would rather see you dead than ever see you again." She wrenched out the staffs as she stood back up. "By the way, Roland is spending the night with me. If I find out that you have hurt or abused him in any way, I will behead you in front of your men. This, I promise to you." She nodded to Roland and the boy scurried in front of her. Zelena dropped her shield and accepted her staff back. The Merry Men helped Robin back up and lead him into the trees. Regina knew Lily and Mal would see them off the property and out of their territory.

"I'm gonna check and see where their camp is." Zelena said, throwing her staff behind her. It morphed into a board behind her and floated down next to her. She stepped onto it and was spirited off across the trees.

"What, are you serious? Mal, how come my staff doesn't turn into a hoverboard?" She demanded. Her mate started making a snickering sound before snapping back to the task at hand. "See how unfair she is." Regina said to Roland, leading him to the house. The boy suddenly threw his arms around her waist, which she returned after a moment of surprise.

"I'm glad you're back, Gina."

"I'm glad to be back. We have a lot to talk about, Ro, and a lot to do. First, we're getting you fed and healed, I'm fixing your hair because whoever cut it needs to be shot, you're meeting the kids and then we pack for a potentially dangerous journey to world filled with terrible dragons and beasts. It's gonna be so much fun." She smiled, patting his head.

"You sound insane. I missed you so much."

That evening, she and Mal raised a barrier around their land, in case Robin decided to try another assassination attempt. After a couple of health potions and a slice of lasagna, Roland was right as rain and Regina made his curly black hair grow out again and she was happy to see some color return to those dimpled cheeks of his. He hit it off well with the kids too. One thing lead to another and the next thing she knew, there was a little T Rex joining the trio of animals wrestling on her living room floor.

"This isn't strange to you?" Belle asked.

"My wife is a dragon. Not at all." She smirked. "I'm heading to bed. Mind the kids for me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." After the last night and today, she was exhausted. Every moment of her return had only served as a reminder to why she left in the first place. But she wouldn't dwell on it long. When they came for what they wanted, she could leave again and never return and that would be a happy ending. Just not tonight… The doorbell rang and she rolled her eyes as she went to answer it. Emma stood on the other side, her face expressionless. Beside her, was Henry.

"Mom? You're alive?"

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	10. Chapter 10

Melisandre peeked inside the bedroom to find her mother sitting on the floor in front of a book. The mark of tears stained her cheeks and her sniffles almost angered the little girl. The others were giving Regina space, but she couldn't help wanting to comfort her mother. She walked into the room and simply sat next to Regina, saying nothing for the moment. She did notice that her mother had opened the book. There were pictures of their family doing all kinds of things.

"This is 10 years of my life." Regina whispered. "The best 10 years." Mel leaned her head on her shoulder. "My supposed son wasn't in any of them."

"Well, if he was in any of them, they probably wouldn't be the best." She suggested. Regina smirked a little. "He'll get over it, and so will you." Henry's reaction had been the expected. Shock and confusion, followed by anger and then acting as if he had been betrayed or something with Emma goading him on, all of it leading up to Regina slamming the door in both of their faces while they were talking. She went upstairs, asking to be alone and that was that.

"It's hard." Her mother sighed. "I raised him, I taught him, or at least I tried. I know you don't like him, but it's difficult when you're a mother."

Mel frowned. "You don't think you're a good mother because you left him? That's why you're upset? Mom, you're the greatest mom in the world! And the greatest grandma, just ask Sarai. You're amazing in every way. Just because Henry didn't appreciate that, doesn't mean we don't. We're here. We're with you. He can go eat a fireball if he thinks it was better for you to stay here and be attacked constantly than go have a life worth living. He'll come around, but if he doesn't, the world won't stop. We can just make some more of these years." She tapped the photo album and looked down at the pictures, finding one of her moms where Regina standing with wobbly legs on a surfboard with Mal holding the board. Her blonde mom had a mischievous look on her face, one Mel knew well, so it wasn't surprising that in the very next picture Mal had swiped the board out from under her feet and sent her careening into the water. "Look at that. Look at that happiness."

Regina smiled and looked down at her daughter. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Mom. I'm always here. I'm pretty smart, you know."

"Yes, you are." She beamed when Regina kissed the top of her head again.

The door creaked and they looked up at Sarai and Jade as they peeked in. "You okay, Grandma?"

"Anything you need, Aunt Gina?"

"I'm perfect, children. Thank you."

"Well, Mel, Mom said to hurry if you want to try some fire breathing." Jade said. Melisandre was on her feet in a second. She gave Regina a quick hug and rushed out with the other kids.

Regina smiled at their departure and turned back to the photo album, turning the page. The next one was of her and Ruby racing in dune buggies. Then one of her and Belle pelting Zelena with water balloons. The next showed Lily landing with a parachute after skydiving. The final picture on the page was of Mal, standing in front of her new jet, one bought after they had tried regular flying, both in coach and in first class. Mal hated it, so she just bought her own jet for their travels. That was her life. She didn't regret leaving Storybrooke. As much as she still cared about him, she didn't regret leaving Henry either.

The door closed and she looked up, expecting someone else to come and check on her, but she was surprised to see a baby dragon sitting just inside the door. Barely bigger than a kitten with tiny horns and a cute little tail. Big blue eyes looked up at her and the little thing started to walk towards her, crawling a bit, as if afraid to frighten her. Regina closed the photo album and pushed it to the side. The baby dragon started running around the room. It did a little roll and balanced on its back legs. She couldn't help but laugh. "Mal, is that you?" Mal responded by blowing a ring of smoke at her in the shape of a heart. "You're adorable." Mal puffed out her chest and proceeded to let out a mighty roar...which was barely more than a squeak. "Okay, you cheered me up. Stop being so cute."

"Impossible." Mal said. In her new form, her voice came out sounding high pitched and squeaky. "Oh my, is that my voice? Oh, that is horrible. Wait a minute." Her mouth and throat glowed briefly as she mentally cast a spell. When she spoke again, her voice sounded almost baritone. "Regina, I am your mother. Welcome to the dark side."

"You're ridiculous."

"I'm cute, it doesn't matter." Mal replied, her voice returning to normal. "And you're smiling again, so mission accomplished." She hopped into Regina's lap and leaned up to nuzzle her neck. Regina smiled and pulled her to kiss the tip of her nose.

"You are a unique woman, you know."

"I do."

"Now, change back, please, dear."

"Nope." Regina's eyebrow rose as Mal jumped out of her lap and pushed her head between her front legs. She pushed off with her hind legs and Regina snorted when she started doing a headstand.

"You gave up control. Why?" The brunette asked. Mal's response was to lean over onto one paw. "Are you serious right now?" She rushed to her feet and Mal squealed as she took off, darting between Regina's legs and under the bed. Regina magically lifted it up and Mal shot towards the door, breaking a small corner off the bottom to get free. Regina gave chase and ran down the chairs, chasing her tiny lover with Mal squealing the entire time like a terrified animal. She almost couldn't run because she was laughing so hard. Ruby and Belle looking at them like they were crazy didn't help her laughing fit. Finally, she managed to catch Mal and picked her up. Mal began vibrating when she started purring and rubbing herself against Regina's neck like an excited cat. Another knock at the door made her rolled her eyes and she walked to the door while Mal balanced on her shoulder. It was Henry again. "Can I help you?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He said. "I was just surprised to find you here again. I thought you were gone forever."

"It's okay. I understand." She shrugged. "Would you like to come in?" She offered. He smiled and seemed to be about to accept the offer, but then he saw Roland. He shook his head and backed up as Roland came to stand next to Regina. His posture was tense, like he was preparing for a fight. She put a hand on his shoulder and he stopped, but Henry quickly turned tail and left. "What was that about?"

"Don't trust anything he says." Roland replied. "He's different now."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked. Roland rolled the sleeve of his shirt up and showed her the large scar on his arm. "Henry did that to you?" She said in disbelief. The gash must have been deep, extending the entire length of his forearm.

"You should see his hands." Roland said, rolling his sleeve back down. "They're green without Emma's spell."

Regina frowned and walked into the living room, taking a seat. "Talk to me, Ro. What's been happening? Why did he do this?"

"He did it because he thought you loved me more. With you being dead, there was no way we could confirm it and besides, he listens to Emma and she's crazy."

"So, when they tried to kill each other…"

"It was almost a civil war. The town protected their savior, the Merry Men protected their leader. Never mind the fact that it started with your murder. It was terrible. Anyway, Dad lost and we were banished to the forest. With the injuries Maleficent gave him, he can't hunt. And Emma used dynamite and forest fires regularly to scare away anything we could catch."

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea-"

"It's not your fault and it wasn't that bad."

Regina sighed. "I don't regret my decision." She said. "I just wish things hadn't gotten so bad. Especially for you. Robin didn't hurt you, did he?"

Roland shook his head. "Between being drunk and being angry at his men, he didn't have much time for me. Mr. Gold kept me safe most of the time."

That caused Regina's eyebrows to rise. "He did?"

Roland nodded. "He said it was a favor to a friend and he didn't want my dad's craziness to rub off on me."

"Well, I'm glad he did." Roland's attention was quickly snapped up by Mel showing him their game system and it left her to her thoughts, currently pouring over their situation. She had a way to make things better, but she needed to see someone first. The Next day she sought out the Dark One, both of them deciding to meet for breakfast at a restaurant across town. Granny's was considered off limits. She wasn't the only one who left town because of the people in it. Ruby and Granny were not on speaking terms after a large argument they had before Ruby left for good, centered around Ruby making Lily her mate and a secrets that Granny had withheld from her granddaughter involving her parents and a bunch of other matters. Regina didn't really know all of the details as it was not really any of her business unless those involved made it so, so she kept her nose out of it.

She and Mel arrived a little early and sat down at one of the tables outside. It was far too pretty a day to be inside.

"Mommy, who are we going to meet?" Mel asked.

"The Dark One, my dear." Regina said. She looked up as a waiter approached and she ordered them both teas and omelets.

"I thought you didn't like him."

Regina shrugged. "We have a complicated relationship."

"Should I be wary of him?" Mel frowned up at her.

"Always."

A few minutes later, she felt a light hand on her shoulder. "Good morning, ladies." Regina touched the hand and Gold moved to the chair across from them, inclining his head to Mel.

"Good morning, Gold."

"You must be Melisendra." He said, to her daughter. "You are as beautiful as your mothers."

"You must be Rumpelstiltskin. Pleased to meet you."

"So, will we be having pleasant conversation before get down to the good stuff?" Gold asked.

"Pleasant conversation while we eat. Good stuff for dessert." Regina smirked.

After an hour of eating and Gold simply talking to Mel and asking her questions, the conversation took a bit of a different turn and Regina bought Mel an ice cream sundae to keep her occupied.

"How's Belle?"

"Why don't you ask her? She's not mad at you, Gold. You know she's not the kind of person to hold a grudge."

"I hurt her...repeatedly. I've learned my lesson and intruding upon her happy ending is not something I would want."

"Maybe call her." Regina shrugged. It took quite a while but her former teacher seemed to have accepted that Belle would never be his. As long as he didn't threaten her family everything was good so she wasn't too interested in that aspect, although she did hope that Gold would find his True Love, as she had. "Thank you, for what you did for Roland." She said.

He shrugged. "Well, I knew the boy would either be left alone because of how much he meant to you, or he would be a target because of how much he meant to you. Either way, he seemed to be dragged into the thick of things."

"Do you know about his scar? What Henry did."

Gold nodded. "He suffers from the same affliction as his mother. He told Archie that he felt you loved Roland more and Emma breeding that type of thinking didn't help."

"How do you know he told Archie?"

"I broke into his office for information. It's been horribly boring these past years so I had to find some way to entertain myself. As well as make sure no one planned to come after me. After their little civil war, your former suitors turned to grief and their idea of dealing with it, was to try and destroy everything that reminded them of you. Obviously forgetting that it was you who built this entire town. That's why it's so dilapidated unfortunately."

Regina sighed. "What did they destroy?"

"Emma blew up your office, torched your old mercedes, took a bat to a couple stores. Robin...destroyed your mausoleum."

Regina bit her lip to keep from scowling. She wasn't really surprised, he seemed completely mad next to Emma, even though both were crazy. Luckily she had moved her parents' coffins down into her vault and sealed it with blood magic before she left. "Why?"

"Envy destroys everything, Regina, especially the envious person." Gold replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"They won't stop."

"That would seem to be the case. Melisendra, my dear, what would you do, were you in your mother's shoes?" Gold asked.

Mel didn't even look up to answer him. She didn't didn't even think about it. "I would kill Emma and Robin. Actually, I would have a long time ago."

Gold grinned at Regina. "Your daughter is smart." He turned back to the child. "But they have children, dearie. What would you do about them?"

"I get what you guys were trying to do, since Henry would probably rather die than leave Emma and Robin wouldn't have let Roland go anywhere near Mom or the other Queens," Mel said, glancing at her mother. "But they're crazy and they probably shouldn't be raising children at all. Look at Henry. Roland turned out pretty good though, but that's probably because he said Robin ignored him. Anyways, yeah, they would be dead. No them, no threat."

Gold chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "As much as Maleficent annoys me, I do love the simplicity of her species. Dragons rarely face these types of dilemmas. You piss one off, you die." He chuckled to himself. "I love it."

Regina remained quiet, mulling over her daughter's words. There was truth to them and honesty in them, but their focus had always been on the children before Emma and Robin, even when they attacked Mal. That was what Mal had wanted anyway, but it was Regina who wanted to spare a couple lives. It was her who stayed Mal's claws and now that she thought about it, it wasn't worth it. She felt as if she were still trying to play a hero, but she was married to a Queen of Darkness. And she was a Queen of Darkness. She couldn't allow this to stand, she never should have allowed it.

"What's going through that mind of yours?" Gold asked.

Regina reached into her purse and pulled out a golden key. She held it up to Gold. "Mal and I leaving was never meant to be permanent. Before, we had always planned to completely change the face of Storybrooke."

Gold scoffed. "The heroes would never have allowed that, even with you as the mayor and certainly not now."

"No, that's why we were planning on expanding the town, but this new section would be run by us. A new province, a new era. Mal bought the majority of buildings on the north end of town and I was going to push back the border, give us more room to work with. That was the plan, but that was also before we were almost murdered." She gestured to the ramshackle buildings around them. "Storybrooke needs a villain's touch for once."

"Are you done playing nice with the idiots who almost killed your loved ones?"

"Yes." She turned to Mel, who was watching her closely and smiled. "Dear, how would you like to meet an old friend of mine?"

"Who?" Mel asked.

"Her name is the Evil Queen. You're going to love her."

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The Charmings were silent as they were lead into the newly rebuilt mayoral office, followed by Robin and his Merry Men. The new office had been rebuilt just as Regina had always had it, but with a bit extra trimmings taken from a dragon's lair. Said dragon was sitting behind the grand desk in the throne-like chair, immaculately dressed in a black pantsuit with a golden shirt underneath, sipping a glass of dark liquor. Three little kids and Roland were sitting on the couch near the fire, watching with small grins as the drama unfolded. Behind the couch was Keith, the Sheriff of Nottingham himself. On either side of Maleficent stood Lily and Zelena and next to them were Belle and Ruby.

"What is this?" David asked.

"Hush, Farmer, we are awaiting the imp." Lily said. Just as she spoke, Gold walked in, taking a seat on the couch near the children.

"Now, we can begin." Maleficent said.

"I don't want to hear a word you have to say." Emma interrupted. Zelena snapped her fingers and stole her voice, conjuring a heavy chain on her neck that nearly dragged her to the ground.

"There is a new authority in town, my dears. Because the old one was shit and allowed fools to run it into the ground." Maleficent stood up and walked around the desk. "That new authority is the Queens of Darkness. So call me what you will: queen, ruler, boss, chief, Don, bitch- Whatever synonym you want to throw in there, I don't fucking care. Just know that this town is now mine and everyone in it is now under my rule. Starting immediately, there will be some changes." She looked at David. "Farmer, you're fired." She looked at Emma. "Fool, you're fired." She turned to Robin, who squared his jaw, glaring at her. "And you, you I ought to kill where you stand. But this is a new suit and probably worth more than you are so I will refrain from bloodying it. However, they won't." Little John came forward and punched Robin hard in the jaw.

"What are you doing?" Robin hissed. "You traitor!"

"You betrayed us. You couldn't let it go." Little John said. "You have always had my loyalty, Robin, but last winter, we lost 3 of our brothers because they froze, because they were hungry, because of you and her." He gestured to Emma. "You have lost your mind and if this is what I must do to save my friends, so be it."

"Usually I would offer gold, gems, weapons, to steal a bit of loyalty." Mal said. "You know what they wanted to turn on you, Robin? They wanted food! They wanted a fucking house! That is all."

"They attacked you." He glared up at Little John before meeting her eyes. "They almost killed your child."

"No." Little John scoffed. "All the men you convinced to do that are either dead or evicted." He turned to the dragon and bowed his head. "I promise to you."

Maleficent shrugged. "We have spoken, I am pleased. Now, back to the changes. Storybrooke is going to need a strong hand in order to turn itself around and in order to do that, we need new leadership. Keith will be the new sheriff. My word will be his will." She conjured a pouch of coins and tossed it to him, which he caught easily. "Little John, you and the rest of the Merry Men can have one of the mansions near the forest. I'll have food delivered to the house for you, clothes, blankets, whatever you need and in the coming days, you will serve as interim leader until our young forest prince is ready to take over." She flashed a smile at Roland, who waved in reply. "Now, you may leave. Keith, make sure you secure Mr. Hood please." Keith smirked as he grabbed Robin and handcuffed him while he watched with hatred as the Merry Men departed. She turned to the Charmings.

"So you're the new mayor?" Snow asked.

She scoffed. "Uh, no. That title will be held by my lovely wife for the time being." Just as she said those words, the doors of the office flew open and in walked Regina in all her dark and stunning glory. She was dressed to impress in a little black dress and jewels gracing her neck, arms, ears, even her ankles and even more gems glittered from her heels.

"Sorry I'm late." She smirked, almost skipping over to Mal, pausing just in front of her with a mischievous glint in her eye. Mal pecked her lips and pointed her finger at her.

"Play nice."

"No promises."

Mal whistled for the others and they made their own departure, leaving Mel and Gold with Regina as she faced her longtime enemies. Regina bit her lip, watching Mal leave. Once the others were gone, she stepped forward to remove the chain on Emma's neck and placed it on the desk. "I know you don't know this, but I spent almost a year building this town. Brick by brick, stone by stone, every blade of grass meticulously placed." She said. "I know you probably don't care either, but there are people in this town that I care about, and the fact that they had to spend the last 10 years in this hellhole because of your neglect and incapability of disciplining your daughter, sickens me." She gestured to Emma. "She needs help. I think you know that." She looked down at Henry. "And I honestly don't know what to say to you anymore. I know what you did to Roland." Henry swallowed but said nothing. She took a deep breath and backed away from them. "For the last 10 years, you all tore this town apart, you let it fall to rubble, because of what? Because Emma got rejected, you just let her destroy half the fucking town?" David opened his mouth to speak. "Shut up." She snapped. "Your family is no longer in power and as long as I live, they never will be again."

"You're moving back into town?" Emma whispered, rubbing her neck.

"For now, but I doubt we will stay and when we do leave, you can rest assured that we will leave someone in place worthy of leading this town. In the meantime, we call the shots and if you even think- if it even crosses those tiny little pea sized pods you called brains to defy us then I will kill you where you stand. Do I make myself clear?"

"I agree that things have gotten out of control these past few years, but you can't just show up and take over. The people won't allow it." David said firmly. "And we won't let you treat our citizens like nothing. We still rule here."

Emma rolled her eyes and Robin started snickering. "Idiot." They said in unison.

"You know, you're right." Regina sighed. She looked at Mel. "We've been going about this the wrong way, my dear." She snapped her fingers and Keith moved behind David and tazed him until he nearly collapsed. "You see, David, I can and will do whatever I want. Your people are not my concern, but I highly doubt that they will mind us fixing what you destroyed. But you know, if you want me to take the people and build a better town and leave you all in this fucked up one, fine by me. Just know that while I'm here, it's no more Miss Nice Regina. Do you understand?" The blonde slowly nodded and she turned around to Mel. "That wasn't exactly the Evil Queen reborn, but close enough. Maybe you'll meet her tomorrow when we go threaten the dwarves. Let's go then, dear, we have to begin reparations."

"Yes ma'am." Mel hopped down and followed Regina to the door. "I like the Evil Queen."

"She likes you too." She smiled at her daughter. "You're dismissed, Uncharmings. Keith, come." Keith sheathed his taser and followed after the new mayor.

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	11. Chapter 11

It was a struggle even after all these years to move from place to place, but Emma managed. With her injury sustained from that stupid dragon, it made life difficult, hobbling from place to place like Gold. Even now, sitting still, it still stung.

The blonde rubbed at her leg as she turned around in her chair to face the person who walked into her bedroom. It was her mother of course. There were few who would enter her room nowadays without knocking. Emma instantly turned back around, rolling her office chair up to where her laptop sat on a small desk.

"We need to talk, Emma." Snow said.

"No, we need to be finding out what the dragon is planning for our town."

"Would it be any worse than what you and Robin did?"

"Probably not." Emma conceded with a shrug.

"She was right, you know." Snow sat down on her bed behind her. Emma glanced over her shoulder, noticing that she was clutching something to her chest. "About everything. We should've gotten you help when we realized that something was wrong."

"Because you would know if something was wrong?" Emma spun her chair back around. "Because you know me that well? Let's not pretend that you don't spend your life in a little happy bubble. For the rest of the world who don't have their happy endings, life isn't as perfect."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Snow asked.

"What could you have done to fix a broken heart?" Emma looked down at her hand, still green for the moment. She could feel it spreading the more she thought about Regina and the dragon and the little family they had created, that wretched child of theirs. Even when she thought Regina was dead, the green affliction remained, serving only as a reminder of what she couldn't have. A reminder that Regina had died as the wife to a stupid beast, and not her.

"There were plenty of ways we could've helped. Even the bare minimum would have been better than you wallowing in misery-"

"Forgive me if I don't divulge the matters of my love life to you. If you had raised me, you would know that I've always been a private person." Emma said, leaning back in her chair, wishing for this conversation to end. She could see her mother grinding her teeth.

"Trying to hurt me won't do anything for you." She stood up, throwing a magazine into Emma's lap. On the front of it was a breathtaking picture of Regina laying on a couch. She was wearing a little black dress with red heels and red lipstick. Her hair was thrown over the rest of the chair, framing her head beautifully. Emma quickly sat up at the sight of it. "For the record, Regina and the others didn't hide. If you hadn't been so busy destroying mementos of Regina and drinking, then you would know that her and the Queens of Darkness have been all over the map, all over the news. Regina's been on the cover of half a dozen magazines, as well as the others."

"You knew all of this and you didn't tell me?" Emma demanded, looking up at her mother. "You knew she was alive?"

"You didn't deserve to know." Snow walked to the door and opened it. Emma threw out her hand and the door slammed shut.

"You let me believe that Regina was dead. How could you?"

"Because whatever love you feel for Regina is not healthy. It isn't. You've had 10 years to try and move on, but you stagnated. Drank yourself silly every night. I'm shocked you still have kidneys. I don't…" She took a deep breath. "I don't know what to do to help you, Emma. That's all I want. For you to be happy and healthy. I just can't help you if you don't want it."

Emma released her hold on the door and turned back to the magazine as Snow left. Regina was alive all this time and her own mother didn't even tell her. She opened the magazine and flipped through it to find the article on Regina. The background picture they used was stunning too. It was one of Regina laughing. She was so perfect that it brought a smile to Emma's face, but the words around the picture quickly wiped it away. The article was talking about Regina's life, what it was like to have so much wealth and be married to the dragon and all the different charities and stuff they supported. Emma didn't really care about any of that because the first paragraph made her tune everything else out. **My life truly began when a beautiful blonde walked into my life and set it ablaze. Everything before that is dark in comparison. Mal is my best friend, my true love, my soulmate, the love of my life...everything. At long last, she is everything I've ever wanted and she has gifted me with so much more: a home, happiness, love, freedom, children, a family. I consider it an honor to stand at her side and even more of a honor that she has asked me to do so... forever.** A dark light started shining from Emma's palms. The magazine started to shrivel as it was slowly burned away into nothing but tattered pieces. She brushed them onto the floor and turned to her computer. There was more on Regina and the other Queens. Granted Storybrooke had always had a disconnect with the rest of the world it had been dropped in and Snow was a bit right about her drinking problem, but she should've known. The Queens of Darkness were fucking celebrities at this point and she hadn't seen it. She checked the timeline, just to see when Regina started showing up in the real world like this. It was only a few years ago and she couldn't find anything on her before that except a record of her adopting Henry. So she had been in hiding at first, probably using a fake name so she couldn't be tracked even if Emma found out she was alive. They had been with Lily though, who knew all the tricks of staying below the radar and making fake identities. Regina had been alive and well and Emma had just stopped looking for her. Maybe her mother was right…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was 5 minutes into her first shift as mayor and Regina was quickly remembering why she used to hate her job. Back in the day, she would actually go through every piece of paperwork and dutifully fill out each one to the best of her abilities, but right now she was completely over it. Pens and pencils and paperwork flew around the room while she was on her phone, each utensil doing the writing for her. She was finished for the day in a matter of minutes. A pair of warm arms wrapping around her waist brought her out of her thoughts and she smiled as Mal kissed her neck. "You're distracting me from completing our slightly non hostile takeover."

"I don't care about that." Mal scoffed, nipping her ear. "You are far more important." Her dragon released her and went to sit in her chair, beckoning Regina with a finger. Regina obeyed instantly, walking around the desk and hopped onto it. A pleased smirk appeared on Mal's face as she rolled forward and reached under Regina's dress. Regina lifted herself up to assist her lover in removing her lingerie. "I should make it a rule for no more underwear as long as we are in Storybrooke."

"Then I would never be able to close my legs." Regina muttered, already knowing if they adhered to that rule Mal wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of her. She couldn't really seem to do that now but she knew it would only get worse. "Let's make it a rule."

Mal chuckled softly as she pushed apart Regina's legs, licking her lips. Regina whispered a soft spell and the back of her dress unzipped itself and she shrugged it off her shoulders, leaning back on her hands. Mal looked up, her jaw falling open. "Such beauty." Regina smiled, feeling her cheeks burn a little at her wife's awestruck look that after years of being together had never changed. Just with one look, Mal could make her melt. She made Regina feel special. It was written in her every touch, every look, every kiss, every caress. "Stunning." Mal whispered, leaning up to kiss the tops of her breasts before capturing her lips in a heated kiss. There was a knock at the door and it was quickly opened. Regina almost screamed as Mal threw her into the chair and turned it around.

"For fuck's sake, Lily." Mal hissed softly a moment later. Regina pulled her dress back up and used magic to zip it back while she made everything else was properly covered before she turned around in the chair to greet Lily and Sarai.

"You guys are having sex again?" Their eldest asked.

"No, because we were interrupted." Mal replied.

"As many times as you've walked in on them, this should not be a surprise." Sarai snickered.

"Anyways," Lily ruffled her daughter's hair, much to her annoyance. "We're ready to start remodeling."

"Reschedule it. We're going to be busy tonight." Mal said, glancing at Regina.

"Making me more aunties and uncles?" Sarai asked.

"Okay, let's go." Lily picked her up and threw her over her shoulder. "By the way, Emma stopped by. She wants to talk to you." Regina instantly rolled her eyes. "She was acting weird too. All nice and soft spoken. Want me to kill her?"

"No." Regina sighed. "I'll talk to her tomorrow. How is Mel?"

"We're meeting Ruby at the park in a few minutes. See you guys later." Lily called, walking out. Mal barely waited for the door to close before grabbing Regina and kissing her again. Regina moaned, feeling her tongue invading her mouth. Mal tore open her dress with a deep growl and picked Regina up, placing her back on the desk. With a snap of her fingers, a bookshelf appeared in front of the door. Regina almost swore when she felt the mark on her inner thigh start to burn.

"Oh gods, I completely forgot about that." Mal smirked.

"No, enough! We're not having sex again until you let me mark you." Regina moved away from her wife and crossed her arms. Maleficent continued smirking as she turned her head, offering her neck to her wife and mate. Regina grinned as she skipped forward, quickly thinking of the perfect spell to mark her lover with. Her mark wasn't too big but it wasn't small either and it was simply her initials in draconic letters. She lightly touched Mal's neck, searing the mark with magic onto her flesh. She instructed Mal to remove her clothes and her dragon obeyed. Gods, she was like fire made flesh. Everything that was beautiful and deadly about fire itself poured into the form of this goddess. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Flatterer." Mal purred.

"On the desk." Regina commanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Mal swept everything off the desk and sat on it. Regina climbed into her lap and pushed on her chest, making her fall on her back. She reached down and burned another mark between Mal's legs. The dragon raised an eyebrow when she placed another at the top of her breast, simply because Regina was well aware of how sensitive they were. "Are you done?"

"No." Regina grinned devilishly and rubbed her hands together greedily. Mal tensed up beneath her and let out a low groan. Regina raised both hands and snapped her fingers. Mal arched her back so high she lifted Regina up a little bit.

"Fuck! Don't do that!" Mal gasped.

"Why not?" Regina smirked. "Too much pleasure?"

"Too many marks."

"You might be right." She agreed, snapping her fingers again anyway and causing her wife to writhe beneath her, whimpering and screaming more obscenities. She looked so delicious like this. The mighty Maleficent being pinned by a little old human, being brought pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. However, it wasn't enough. There was something Regina wanted and she was going to get it, one way or another. Mal grabbed her thighs, digging her nails into them with a sharp hiss.

"Regina, no."

"Yes, Mal. Just let go." Regina whispered, leaning down to pepper her neck with hot kisses. She made sure to kiss her new mark, drawing another groan from the dragon. She bared her teeth and bit into the mark. Almost instantly Mal arched up again, almost bucking her off the desk entirely. Flames burst out of the dragon's throat, blackening a good portion of the room, but Regina only grinned, her teeth still against Mal's throat. She could feel the heat her dragon breathed in the throws of her orgasm, the muscles straining under her lips It took several long moments for Mal to come back down and Regina climbed off of her to repair the room. When that was done, she teleported them to their bedroom and tucked her spent lover into bed with a kiss on her forehead.

"Fuck you." Mal said softly.

"You already did that." Regina scoffed. "I'm gonna go see what Emma wants. Rest and recover." Mal let out a soft growl. "I've got this. Relax." She used magic to get dressed in a royal blue dress before going downstairs. Lily was in the living room with the kids, giving a self defense lesson.

"If you can, changed into your beast form. Find something to bite on and sink your teeth in deep." She was using Mel to demonstrate. Her little sister gently bit her arm. "Close your wings. Hold them tight against your body. You bite someone, the first thing they're going to try and do is rip you off. They'll grab at anything, wings, tail- Your wings are your weakest point." Mel nodded and curled herself into a tight ball. "Drop like a stone. You're light to me, but to a human, you'll feel like a big rock. Use that weight against them, drag them down. Understand?" The children all nodded eagerly, stockpiling away the information for future use. Regina wrapped her arms around Lily's neck and kissed the top of her head.

"Interesting lesson?"

"Just some basic self defense. Make sure they're okay if we're not around. I don't trust anyone in this town really."

"I know, but I'm sure they'll be fine. Mel, take a ride with me?" Mel nodded and changed back into human form.

"Where are we going?"

"To meet Emma Swan."

"Can I go?" Sarai asked. "I want to threaten her too."

"Tomorrow, I'm going to see Robin while he's locked up. You all can come then." Sarai rubbed her paws together gleefully and Regina smirked. She took Melisandre's hand and lead her outside to the car.

"What's the plan?" Mel asked excitedly.

"You decide. You're the one who's going to introduce herself."

/

Granny's was almost empty. It was a far cry from the bustling hub it has once been. After her argument with Ruby, whatever it was about, Granny wasn't really the same. She did offer to hold the door while Emma limped inside on her crutch. "Thanks."

"No problem. Have you, uh, seen Ruby? Or the kids?"

"Yeah. She's fine. They were at the mayor's office." Emma let out a grunt as Henry made his way past her to pull out a chair for her. "Thanks, kid." She sat down and Granny took her crutch for her. "I don't really know which kid was hers, so I couldn't tell anything about them. She had a girl though."

"Thank you." Granny sighed. "She didn't even tell me when she had her."

"What'd you guys fight about?"

"Stuff I should've told her a long time ago." The old werewolf walked into the kitchen, already knowing what they were going to order.

"Do you think she'll really come?" Henry asked.

"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "Hope so."

"Roland must've lied to her. She hates me now."

"No, she doesn't. She's your mother and always will be. I'll find a way to fix this."

"She left us for 10 years." Henry hissed. "She doesn't want us anymore. She has that stupid-"

The door chimed and both of them swiftly turned their heads to find out who it was. It wasn't who they were looking for. It wasn't Regina. It was young girl, but Emma could tell instantly that it was her daughter. It had to be. She had Regina's thick black mane of hair, but there was a small blonde streak in it and her eyes were bright blue. Everything else just screamed the former queen. From her smile to the elegant purple dress and necklace of diamonds she wore.

"Emma Swan?" She asked, holding out her hand to shake.

"Yes." Emma said, shaking her small hand. "May I help you?"

"Yes, My name is Melisandre Maria Mills." She said, her smile dropping in a heartbeat. "I'm the girl you almost had killed. And the daughter of the mothers you almost killed. We should talk."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	12. Chapter 12

Emma swallowed when Regina walked into the diner. Stunning. Even that word could not seem to sum up Regina Mills. A glow radiated off the woman and it would appear she decided to ditch the sensible pantsuits for a royal blue dress that wrapped around every curve and accentuated every feature Emma remembered so well. She sat down in a booth nearby with her back to them and pulled out her phone. She didn't say a word to them, didn't even acknowledge her own daughter, but Emma knew she was listening.

"Your gun please." Melisandre said, drawing her attention.

"Excuse me?"

"Your gun. Can you place it on the table?"

"Um, why?" Emma asked, pulling the weapon out of its holster. She put it on the table and Melisandre made a motion with her hand, using magic to pull it towards her. She dismantled the gun with ease, even popped out the bullet in the chamber, and laid the pieces in a neat row in front of her.

"Just in case."

"In case of what?" Henry frowned.

"Well, your mother has tried to kill me before. Who's to say she won't again?"

"She would never-"

"She already has." Melisandre almost growled at him. "She would have killed both of my mothers, but we can discuss that later. How have you been, Emma?" She asked, a smile returning to her lips.

"Great."

"That's not what I heard...or what I've seen." The young dragon replied. "How is your leg?"

"Painful." Emma scoffed, massaging it under the table. It always throbbed, a permanent ache and source of pain for the last decade. It was all because of Maleficent that she had to spend every day hobbling everywhere like a cripple. She lost her job because she couldn't walk without using a crutch or a cane to get around. Gold could've healed her, but he refused to help her. He just told her that it was her cross to bear.

Melisandre snapped her fingers and Regina made a motion with her hand. The pain in her leg was instantly gone. "Better?"

"Hell yeah." Emma smirked, moving her leg around.

"Enjoy it. It's only going to last until this conversation is over."

Emma glanced at Regina. The woman flicked her hair over her shoulder and lounged back in her seat, but otherwise, didn't turn around. Even this view of her was gorgeous. Melisandre cleared her throat to get her attention again. "What did you want to talk about?" Emma asked.

"I think you were the one who wanted to talk."

"Yeah. To Regina."

"Close enough." Melisandre smirked. "So talk, Savior. Did you want to apologize? Ask for another chance? Plead to be in her life again?"

Emma fought off a scowl at her derisive tone. "I'm not going to sit here and be mocked by a child. Regina!" She called. "Regina, just come over here and talk to me like an adult. Please." Regina continued scrolling through her phone and Emma got up to go talk to her. As soon as she stood up, the pain in her leg returned and she nearly fell when the searing burn shot through the weakened limb. She managed to grab the table and Henry rushed to help her back up and into her seat.

"Look, Miss Swan," Melisandre commanded. "Look at me. All I wanted was to have a simple conversation. It's the least you could do after all you've done."

"All **I've** done?" Emma hissed. "Why don't you talk to your bitch of a mother and ask her what she did."

The girl rolled her eyes. "You're so mad at Maleficent because you think she stole Regina when Regina was the one who **left** you. You've obsessed over something for the past 10 years when even I know that you should've moved on, or at least tried. You should've focused on being a mother to Henry and a leader to your town."

"You're 10, alright. This is ridiculous-"

"Actually, I'm 11, but you're right. You are absolutely right. I don't know everything that happened between all of you. All I know is you tried to kill one of my mothers and almost got the other one killed and me. That's twice as bad as stealing someone's girlfriend. There is no comparison whatsoever! This conversation has told me all I need to know."

"Did it?" Emma scoffed.

"Yes." Melisandre nodded slowly. "It told me that you can't be trusted. You don't care that you tried to murder me or my family." She said, looking almost perpexled at her revelation. "There is no doubt in my mind that given the chance, you would try to kill my mothers again."

"I don't want to kill anyone." Emma snapped.

"Then what do you want? You've burned every bridge you might've been able to cross."

Emma took a deep breath. She couldn't lose her temper knowing that Regina was a few feet away, listening to her every word. She really had wanted to apologize and she really did want to earn Regina's forgiveness. She wanted to stop feeling this way. All she could think about when she wasn't drunk was Regina. That was why she'd wasted away the last decade when she thought Regina was dead. Because she was guilty. It was her fault. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "For everything. I just...I really loved your mother. I still do. After everything we'd been through, I thought we would be together. I wanted that more than anything. When she didn't want that, I guess I focused on Maleficent because I felt that she took my dream away. Regina was supposed to be my dream come true." She glanced over at the brunette, but Regina gave no indication that she cared about her heartfelt words. "Regina, I'm sorry. I'd do anything for your forgiveness."

"And Maleficent?" Melisandre asked. "We're a package deal, Miss Swan, and she is the matriarch of the clan. You also almost killed her too. Shall I call her for you?"

The blonde bit down on her tongue to stop herself from making a face at the mention of the woman she still detested. She knew Maleficent wouldn't do anything but act like a smug bitch, but she agreed. Melisandre tapped the star birthmark on her wrist and the dragoness walked in a few seconds later. Her appearance drew Regina's attention immediately. The first time she looked up from her phone and it was to ogle the stupid dragon in a black bodycon dress and matching sky high heels. Maleficent made sure to brush against her starry eyed wife before she came to stand behind her daughter.

"You called?"

"Miss Swan has something she wants to say."

Maleficent's piercing blue gaze turned to the savior. "Speak then." She commanded.

Emma swallowed and looked up at the older woman. "I wanted to apologize-"

"I'm going to stop you right there." The dragon chuckled. "You and your deranged forest friend shot me out of the sky, attacked me, my wife, my daughter and my daughter in law, and in the process threatened the life of my unborn child. Fuck your apology. It will never be accepted. Is that all?"

Emma sighed and braced her hands on the desk, pushing herself to her feet. "I'm serious. I'm very sorry for everything. I want to try and make amends-"

"No." Maleficent deadpanned. "Is that all?"

"Yes, Mommy." The dragon patted Melisandre's head and the little girl grinned before the dragon teleported away. The young dragon turned back to Emma and arched an eyebrow. She was really too much like Regina. "So, what else did you want to discuss?"

"Did you ever think about me?" Henry demanded, walking over to Regina. "Did you miss me? Did you regret it?" Regina slowly turned to face him and looked him in the eye as she answered.

"Yes...and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I did think of you." Regina said. "How could I not, Henry? You were my son. I missed you sometimes and wondered what you were doing, but...I never regretted leaving."

"Why not? Wasn't I enough to make you stay?" He asked.

Regina shook her head. "Had I stayed, I might be dead. Melisandre might be dead. Maleficent might be dead. The environment that I was living in was far too hostile for anyone."

"You didn't have to pretend to be dead!" He roared. "You could have told me!"

"We would have been followed. I was already being hunted and harassed on the phone. Not to mention the tracking device Lily found." She threw harsh glare at Emma before turning back to him. "Your mother and Robin were willing to kill my family and I was not willing to let them. So I left. I faked my death because I knew they wouldn't be able to do anything else if they thought I was dead."

"That only made things worse." Henry said softly.

"Possibly. But, it was my decision to make and the only thing I regret with all of this is that others suffered-"

"Not me?!"

Regina let out a heavy sigh. "Emma would not have hurt you. Your grandparents were perfectly capable of protecting you. I knew you were safe, even from Robin. I wasn't. Melisandre wasn't."

"So just because you have your own kid, you just leave the other one?" Henry demanded. "You let me believe you were dead. Who else knew?"

"Tink, Gold and Roland."

"Roland…" Henry scowled. Regina flicked an eyebrow at his reaction. "He's not your son." The boy almost growled.

"I know that." Regina replied.

"Then why tell him and not me?"

"Why don't you tell us what happened to his arm?" Melisandre called, picking at her nails.

Henry visibly swallowed and his rage started to dissipate in favor of guilt. "Regina-" Emma said, but the queen threw her a quick glare, still watching Henry.

"Would you really have come with me?" Regina asked gently. "Would you have given up your grandparents and your friends to be raised by the Queens of Darkness? We both know you wouldn't. At best, you would've wanted to help Emma, and she does need help, but she wasn't going to find any mercy from Mal after trying to kill her. In a way, my leaving saved Emma's life. At worse, you would've hated the very idea and you would've tried that guilt tripping nonsense you and the idiots always used to pull to get me to comply. Am I wrong?" She tilted her head, watching Henry ponder over the question. They both knew the answer however.

"You still could've told me." He whispered. "Anything was better than believing you were dead."

"How long would you have waited to tell Emma the truth?" Came the next question. "Your heartbroken mother was drowning her sorrows in a bottle over a death that she instigated. You mean to tell me that you would have kept my secret?"

"Yes!"

"For how long?" Regina held his gaze evenly. "How long before you couldn't bear the sight of her in pain anymore? I know you, Henry, so I know that you would have told her. If only to try and make her feel better. I love you and I trusted you, but I wasn't willing to take that chance. When Emma found out, Robin would have inevitably found out and guess what they would have done...They would have come after my family again." She let another sigh and checked her phone. "They didn't do what we expected. It's been 10 years, we expected them to be angry and be sad for a while, but eventually they would move on. I didn't expect for Emma to turn you into this."

"Did you love him more?"

"What?"

"Roland!" He shouted. "Did you love him more?"

"Why do you think I loved Roland more than you? Because he is the son of my supposed soulmate? Did Emma put this in your head? Is that why you attacked him?"

"Just answer my question."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "I love Roland very much. I will always love him. I love you very much, Henry. How can you ask me if I love someone more when I was the one who raised you? Before you found the storybook, did you ever doubt my love for you? After everything I've done to prove how much I loved you."

"I didn't ask if you loved me. I asked if you loved him more."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him. "No."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Why would you ask me a question if you wouldn't believe my answer?"

Emma silently watched the exchange, remembering how heartbroken Henry was to learn the news of Regina's death. He was depressed for a long time after that until one day, he was just different. Angry. A lot of that anger was directed at Robin and his Merry Men for being the ones to cause Regina's death. Then his anger turned to Roland. It was no secret that Regina loved the boy as her own child and Henry eventually came to the conclusion that Regina loved him more because of his past with his mother. Roland may not have known Regina as long, but he never upset her, never made her cry and his presence always made her smile. Contrary to what Regina probably believed, Emma never nursed that anger. Henry came to that conclusion all on his own. He attacked Roland all on his own. A part of her felt she should have seen something was wrong in Henry and Roland because she couldn't remember ever seeing Roland upset over the former mayor's death. He didn't even attend the funeral. In fact, none of Regina's closest friends did. It was because they knew she wasn't dead...

Melisandre glanced up at her mother. "Return to your seat, Henry, if you're not going to answer the question. You're standing far too close for my liking." When Henry failed to move, she snapped her fingers and Henry was teleported back to his chair. "Look, Little Prince, I didn't come here to talk to you so your feelings and you are irrelevant." She turned back to Emma. "You, however, need to understand something very important."

"And what is that?" Emma asked.

"Regardless of your feelings towards my mothers and my family, you need to know that the only reason you are still alive is because of your son. Unlike everyone else, I don't care about him. I don't really even care about you. So… if you ever threaten my family again in any way, shape, or form, I will kill you myself."

Henry smirked. He even laughed in the face of the little dragon. "Please, you're just a kid."

In the blink of an eye, the table between them was sent flying across the diner. Maleficent instantly appeared nearby, looking at Regina in concern. The smirking queen motioned to Melisandre grabbing Henry by the throat and slamming him to the ground.

"Yes, I am a child, but before anything else, I am a dragon, superior to you in every way. I will not hesitate to destroy you. Have I made myself clear?" Her eyes were glowing bright gold and the grip on Henry's neck only tightened the longer he did not answer her question. Emma moved to stand and instantly Maleficent was behind Melisandre, as if begging her to make a move.

Everyone froze however, when they heard the click of Granny's crossbow. "Get out of my diner." The old werewolf let out a low growl as she stepped out of the back, her favorite weapon pointed at the dragon's chest.

"Don't growl at me, you old bitch." Maleficent growled right back, dragon fire appearing in her eyes.

"Who is that?" Melisandre asked. Regina moved to stand at her wife's side, putting herself between Mal and the crossbow.

"Ruby's grandmother." Regina answered. "And simply not worth our time. Come along, Mel."

"One moment." Melisandre looked back down at Henry and grinned, showing off two rows of pointed teeth. "Have I made myself clear, Little Prince?" She growled.

"Yes." Henry croaked. Mel released him and ran to her mothers, who were both proudly grinning. The trio teleported away and Emma let out a long breath.

"Well, this was a bust."

"Stupid dragons." Henry murmured, rubbing his neck.

Emma ran her hands through her hair and ultimately grabbed her crutch.

"What do we do now, Mom?" Henry asked.

"I need to think." She closed her eyes and attempted to forget the look Regina gave Maleficent. She ignored Emma, but as soon as that stupid dragon showed her face, she couldn't look away. Her arm started to burn, but she already knew the cause. "Let's go home."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mel hadn't done what her mothers expected at all. Regina thought she would go straight for the dragon approach and scare the living hell out of Emma, and she did eventually, but it would seem that her little girl wanted to see what Emma would do if she were simply spoken to. She seemed to want to understand because Regina knew that she didn't, understand why her family was targeted in such a manner. Why she had been targeted before she was even born. Mal seemed upset too. She was fuming on the front porch, so while the other Queens took the kids for a walk in their animal forms, Regina walked onto the porch and sat in the chair next to her wife. "What's wrong, Mal?"

"I will not forgive Emma Swan or Robin Hood. I simply do not have the capacity nor the desire to do so."

"Neither do I and we already know that. Mel just called you to piss Emma off." She scoffed. "You didn't get upset until you saw Granny. Did something happen before we left?"

"I just despise her." Mal shrugged.

Regina narrowed her eyes at the dragon and reached over to take her hand. "Talk to me, dear. What happened? For you to still be angry about it, it must be something great."

Maleficent growled softly to herself. "She was quite rude to Lily when she began courting Ruby and I didn't appreciate it. In addition to that, I may have judged her parenting skills rather harshly...to her face. It lead to an argument and us getting 'banned' from the diner, as if we really cared."

Regina smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"

"You shouldn't be. For all that woman's bravado and 'wisdom', she is a fool. A fool who could've gotten Ruby killed or worse." Regina waited for her lover to elaborate while gently rubbing Mal's hand with her thumb and admiring how stunning she was, even when upset. No one person should possess such beauty. It was almost ridiculous. "When a dragon is born, they are told what they are. They are told of their ancestors, the mighty blood they carry. I was not able to tell Lily this, but Granny could have told Ruby. She only didn't because she was still mad at the man who turned her into a werewolf and I suppose I understand, but her actions did nothing but hinder Ruby and turn her into a ticking time bomb with teeth and claws and a beast she could not control. She was raised to be a human when she is far from that." Maleficent let out another growl, smoke flowing from her nostrils. "It's not my business, I know, but it still pisses me off."

Regina did agree with her wife on the matter. Granny essentially gave her granddaughter a cloak to cover up a unique part of her that made her who she was. A part of her that proved how disastrous it was that she wasn't properly taught to be a wolf. She could understand why Mal was so upset with her, especially after the woman's alleged comments towards their daughter, but she was already suffering. As far as she knew, Ruby had cut off all ties with Granny Lucas. She was probably unaware of the birth of her great grandchild as well. "Relax, Mal. It's perfectly okay to be upset. Ruby is our daughter in law now. She is a part of our family, a part of us. Our ancestors are hers and she may not bear our blood, but our granddaughter does." Maleficent looked up, smiling slightly at her words. "It is more than okay to be protective of our family, Maleficent, it is more than okay. Ruby knows where she stands and she knows that we stand with her. All of the Queens do."

Maleficent beckoned her closer and kissed her lips. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Shall we go find the rest of our family?"

Mal stood up and offered her hand to her as she usually did and Regina took it. Now that she thought about it, Mal had done far more than she probably realized for each member of their family, giving them all a new purpose, a new home and a place to belong. It was all because of the Dragon Queen.

The pair went down to the river, finding Ruby and Lily relaxing on the bank. On the other side, Belle, Zelena and Jade were sitting in the grass talking to Gold. Meanwhile, Sarai and Mel were wrestling in their beast forms. Regina narrowed her eyes when she noticed a little T Rex laying in the grass nearby on its back, his legs cycling in the air. She smirked and went over to give Roland a little nudge with her foot so he could roll over.

"Thanks, Gina!" He took off down river to dropkick Mel and Sarai into the water. She grinned, watching them play fight and roll around in the grass.

Mal purred next to her. "We're almost complete. Then we can rest and enjoy ourselves again."

Regina nodded. "And Storybooke? Have you decided how we're going to fix this place?"

"Magic." The dragon replied. "And we'll instate Tink as mayor with a personal guard, if she wants the position. Then we have to rebuild half the town and make preparations to leave. How did Mel react to Emma before my arrival?"

"She doesn't understand it. I think she's still trying to put everything together." Mel was quite intelligent for her age and thanks to being part dragon, because dragons matured faster than humans, she would always seem much older than she was, but she was still very much a child. Up until now, she lived in bliss, in a beautiful foreign country surrounded by loving people. Being in Storybrooke was opening her up to a completely different world.

"I'm sure she'll manage. If not, we might not be here long enough for her to worry over it. For now, we should enjoy teaching our future Queens."

"Possibly a future king as well." Regina gestured to Roland being tackled by Sarai. "Unless he wants to live with the Merry Men, he has to stay with us."

"Of course." Mal kissed her temple. "He is lucky to have you watching over him. Did you find out why Henry attacked him?"

Regina shook her head. "Henry thinks I love Roland more than him because I told him about my being alive. I can understand he would think so, I guess, but attacking Roland is beyond acceptable. It's like he's obsessed over knowing the answer, but he wouldn't believe me when I told him. He needs help just as much as his crazy ass mother."

"We should be wary then." Mal said. "He might go after Roland again or Mel."

"I wish I didn't, but I agree."

" Now, come on. Let's get your mind off of things." Smoke suddenly engulfed her lover and she burst out of it in her little dragon form, speeding off to jump on Sarai's back.

"Grandma?" Mel and Roland came over see if it was and Mal bounced around in circles like a happy kitten.

"Wait, Mal, I want to play too." Regina whined. She quickly thought of a spell and cast it. Mal instantly transformed back into a human.

"Regina! No!" All eyes turned to the rising cloud of purple smoke threatening to overwhelm them. It took a moment for it to disperse and when it did, she almost lost her mind. All she saw at first were wings. Great black wings that unfurled to reveal her wife in a breathtaking new form. Regina was now a dragon and the most beautiful one she had ever seen. Well muscled and strong, she looked delicious. She was clearly built for flying as she possessed a lack of spikes down her back. A serrated spine began at the beginning of her extra long tail and ran all the way to the tip. A few spikes were on her elbows, but that was it. A pair of massive horns rested on her head, uniquely twisted up like markhor horns. What topped it off, was her color. She was entirely black. A rich, dark black that gleamed and glittered wherever the sun hit it. From her claws to her elbow spikes to the spine on her tail, all of it was black. The only other color she possessed were the whites of her eyes and teeth, as well as those pretty brown irises Mal adored. "Holy shit."

Regina twisted around to examine herself, her tail tip quivering excitedly as her family rushed to her to check her out. One did not. Maleficent didn't move a muscle.

"Mom, you okay?" Lily asked.

"No, she broke her promise." Maleficent growled.

Regina roared at her and made herself small to run over to them, trying to climb up Mal's leg. She bent down to pick up her little wife and Regina assaulted her with fervent nuzzles and swipes of her tongue. Long ago, during the very beginnings of their relationship, Regina had changed into a dragon. Seeing her shift brought up a wealth of emotions and primal instincts that Mal had never felt before. That inexperience had culminated in a dangerous night for them with Mal nearly losing control of herself because of her lust and desire for the queen. Even now she wanted to slam Regina on a bed and fuck her until neither of them could walk, but she couldn't lose control as she had the first time.

"Sorry, baby." Regina said softly. "I forgot. I just wanted to play too. I'll make it up to you."

"How dare you say that to me while you're a baby dragon."

Across the river, Zelena and Belle watched Jade take off to join the family in their play fighting session.

"You have raised a wonderful girl." Gold said to the pair of mothers. "She's getting very good at subtle threats as well."

"Thank you." Zelena smirked.

"May I apologize to the both of you?" Both of them turned to look at him curiously. "I am truly sorry, Zelena, for ever making you feel like you were unworthy. Belle...I am sorry for everything."

"It's okay, Rumple." Zelena smiled. "I forgave you when I married your wife." Belle elbowed her in the side, but the witch was unfazed. Despite the nature of his relationship with the Queens and their pasts, it was well known that even Regina still considered the man one of her oldest friends. Zelena was less inclined, but she didn't really care since she was living her dream. Belle, on the other hand, would always have reservations around him. A part of her would always love him and a part of her would never trust him again. His words, his actions, however honorable or heroic, all of them proved that they could be false. So she smiled and thanked him, but she didn't say anything more. Zelena gave her hand a squeeze and she felt a little better knowing the Wicked Witch had her back.

That evening, the Queens returned to the mansion. Their leader and her mate were noticeably absent. Time alone was absolutely necessary for a dragon and their mate. Regina expected for Mal to be affectionate, but she hadn't thought she would be mauled by a happy dragon tongue. She could almost feel Mal's excitement and had no choice but to wait until Mal had calmed down.

"You are very beautiful, Regina. Very." Mal purred, twining their tails together.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Sexiest dragon I've ever seen." Mal said, grooming around her horns. Regina purred and allowed her mate to do as she pleased. "You know, one thing we've never tried is dragon sex…"

"You're right." She had no idea what dragon sex entailed, or if they could do it as two females, but Mal was undeterred.

"Let's go. We should move farther away from town. Don't want to keep them up all night." Her mate snickered and drew out her wings. With a single flap, she was airborne. Regina copied the motion, throwing herself into the sky. She was immediately rocked by the wind and whimpered as she tried to stay aloft. "I got you, Regina." Mal flew beneath her, boosting her up and essentially carrying her across the forest.

"Thank you. You have to teach me to fly now and then I can fly with you and Mel. Your mothers too."

"One of them can't fly. I told you Millie's dragon form was weird."

"When are we going to go get them?"

"Soon, my love. Soon."

/

It was a struggle to walk without limping as the lovers crept back into the house and even more of one for Maleficent not to purr her head off while following Regina up the stairs. She finally mated with her mate. How could life get any better than having her family and Regina? They were nearly silent, creeping down the hallway, but one door flew open as they passed and Zelena leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Good morning, Baby Sister. It's about 6 o'clock, you know."

"Ssh." Regina said. "You'll wake the kids. What are you doing up anyway?"

"Just wanted to witness the walk of shame after the racket you two have been making for the last few hours."

"Racket?" Regina whispered, turning red. "I put up a barrier…"

"Yes, which requires concentration to sustain." Zelena said, arching an eyebrow. "So tell me, were you concentrating on the barrier or what was between Mal's legs? As for the kids, they're mentally scarred."

"Oh my gods." Regina teleported away in horror and Maleficent looked at the grinning witch.

"I told you to set up a barrier before we left."

"And I did. The kids are fine. They've been out since 9." Zelena chuckled. "What?"

"Go to bed, you mischievous little thing." Maleficent smiled, rolling her eyes. She walked into the master bedroom, finding Regina looking through a dresser. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to erase our daughter's memory with." Her wife replied. "And to heal that patch of forest you burned."

"That's twice you've made me do that and you're going to stop." Mal felt embarrassed at how Regina could make her come undone with ease. The fact that she was doing it more frequently was also annoying. "Zelena lied by the way. The kids have been asleep all night. They didn't hear a thing."

Regina slammed the drawer closed with a growl. "I'm going to kill her."

"Later." Mal smirked. She took Regina's hand and lead her to the bathroom for a soothing soak. Afterwards, she used magic to dry them off and carry Regina to bed. Sinking into the soft bed, the sheets cool against her heated skin, and her body sore and satiated, Maleficent found herself perfectly content. Regina lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling while Mal lay on her side, watching her. The blonde reached over to take Regina's hand, drawing her attention. "You scare me."

"I scare a lot of people." Regina quirked an eyebrow and her lip. She rolled onto her side, meeting Mal's eyes. "You okay?"

Mal pressed their palms together, threading their fingers around each other. "Every moment of every day, you hold my heart in your hands. You could destroy me if you wanted to."

"I would never."

"I know...but you could. It terrifies me. At the same time, you are the only person I would willingly give my heart. All you have to do is ask."

"And I'd never ask." Regina said, kissing her hand. "By the way, I should have at least 10 extra points after I make you breathe fire."

"Hell no." Mal scoffed, evoking a giggle from her wife. "You need to stop that."

"Why? It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen." She grinned. "Plus it boosts my ego."

"I'll bet it does. Stop doing it or we won't have sex at all."

"HA HA!" Regina laughed dramatically before turning deathly serious. "You wouldn't fucking dare."

"Want to bet?"

"I do. If I win, I get that sapphire necklace you have on display in your vault and the emerald ring with the rose gold band."

Mal nodded. "Okay. If I win, I get your black opal necklace and the gold necklace with the amber centerpiece." Wife and wife shook on it and began their newest challenge.

The next morning, over breakfast, the other Queens laughed at the new bet they proposed and even took bets of their own.

"This should last about 5 minutes." Lily said, drowning her waffles in syrup. She leaned over and did the same to a giddy Sarai's, who was grinning as she watched her mother swirling the syrup over her plate.

"I give it a day at the most." Zelena scoffed, cutting into her crepe.

"Wow." Regina said, placing a tray of fresh fruit on the table. "Thanks guys." She looked down at Roland, staring at the massive spread before him. Food was something their family spared no expense on. Feeding such a large group, with a few of them being part dragon or wolf, meant a lot of food was constantly being bought and preparing these meals was a team effort. Roland's awestruck gaze at the banquet made her laugh. Across the table were plates of fresh fruits, crepes, crumpets, pancakes, waffles, sausages, ham, bacon, eggs, hash browns, bagels,, biscuits, bear claws, muffins, doughnuts, rice and grits. Since they had a few guests, they had gone a little overboard, but she knew everything would get eaten eventually. "Eat up." She ruffled his hair and moved to sit next to Mel. Her daughter was busy drizzling some biscuits in honey.

"So back to this ridiculous bet. I want to take a bet." Ruby piped up. "Mal, Gina, we all know this won't last long. Z, you want to bet?"

"Sure. Basic amount?"

"Done."

"Basic amount?" Regina frowned. "How often do you have bets?"

"Enough to have a set amount apparently." Mal replied.

"I want in." Tink called. "I think Mal's gonna crack first."

Belle scoffed. "It's definitely gonna be Regina." Regina rolled her eyes, watching them name their prices and place their bets. In the end the odds were stacked against her.

"Alright enough, there are children at the table." She said, glancing at them and finding that all were buried in their plates and probably hadn't heard a thing that was said. "Besides, I can just go put on some Dragon's Bane and-"

"No!" Mal snapped. "That's cheating. No aphrodisiacs."

"Fine." Regina shrugged. "I don't need them anyway." Now she needed a way to break Mal so she could get her prizes. Oh, the possibilities...

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	13. Chapter 13

A couple days later, Emma arranged to meet Regina again. This time, she asked Granny to give them their space and she promised that they wouldn't be disturbed. Henry was pacing behind her and she was massaging her leg.

"I saw them today." Her son said. "Fixing the buildings and stuff. Do you think they're going to stay here?"

"I don't know. If she sees that we've changed...maybe." Emma said. "If she would fucking let me talk to her…"

The door to Granny's chimed and in walked the Wicked Witch. Zelena winked at her but ultimately ignored her, taking a seat in the same manner that Regina had a few days ago. She pulled out her phone and started texting. In the chair across from Emma appeared a little fiery haired girl with a pretty face covered in freckles.

"Who are you? I asked for Regina."

"You think you deserve to speak to my aunt?" The girl asked.

"Look, I-"

"You've said your piece. You apologized, she didn't accept it, she wants nothing to do with you. Why continue pushing?"

"I just want to talk to Regina."

"What would you say to her that you haven't already?" The girl asked. "You tried to murder her wife because she didn't want to be with you. That told her that you didn't care about her happiness, only your own. You tricked Robin into attacking her-"

"That wasn't supposed to happen." Emma hissed.

"Which told her," The girl continued, "That you were willing to hurt her family and conspire against those you believe did you wrong. Apologizing is not going to fix your relationship with her, if there still is one. Actions probably won't do much either."

Emma chewed on her lip, glancing over at an unconcerned Zelena. This was obviously her daughter. They looked a lot alike and her daughter had an accent too, but it sounded more like Belle's than Zelena's. She was like Melisandre, seeming older than she was and bearing an understanding and wisdom far beyond her years, but that didn't change the fact that she was just a kid and she had no idea what was going on. "I know you want to protect Regina, but I'm not going to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt her. I just wanted…"

"To be loved? You don't think she knows that?" The redhead leaned forward and laid her hands on the table, palm up. Emma looked uncertainly at them. The girl motioned to her arm and she moved it forward, rolling up her sleeve and revealing the green affliction coating it. "It's a different color."

"What?"

"Mom's was a different kind of green." She replied.

"Do you know how to get rid of it?"

"Yes. You stop being envious."

Emma rolled her eyes and pulled her arm back. "I'm not about to do this. Do I need to go through all of you kids before I can talk to Regina? Because if so, then fine."

The girl laughed. "You're not going to talk to Regina, and Sarai would probably try to kill you on sight. Regina doesn't want to talk to you. You cannot be surprised by that."

Emma let out a sigh and absently rubbed her leg. How the hell was she going to change things if Regina wouldn't even bother to talk to her. She could send a bunch of kids and fix the town, but she couldn't take a few minutes to talk?

"I believe that you need help, Miss Swan." The young girl said. "I don't exactly know what kind, but your fixation on my aunt is not healthy. It is toxic and it has already poisoned you. It is poisoning everything around you. Look at your town. Look at your son. It may take another 10 years to be cured, but I think you should try it before it gets you killed." She got to her feet and Zelena did the same. "Good day, Miss Swan." The pair teleported away, leaving Emma in the diner with her son. She was a bit surprised that he hadn't spoken up during their little conversation. Neither of them said anything to each other as they left the diner and walked out to the car.

"You okay?" He asked as she drove them back to her parents' house.

"Fine." She shrugged. Talking to Regina was off the table. Earning her forgiveness seemed to be off the table. The Queens of Darkness weren't going to associate with her anymore. What was she supposed to do? She got out of the car, suppressing a grimace, and leaned against the door while Henry brought her her cane. She limped up to the house and waited while Henry came to open the front door for her. The first thing she heard was Regina's voice. It made her limp a little faster into the room. Regina was sitting on the couch across from Snow and David and all three stopped talking to look up at her when she walked in. "What's going on?"

"We're discussing how to fix everything around here." Snow answered.

"And you." Regina added.

"You're discussing me to my parents when I was just sitting in a fucking diner waiting for you?" Emma hissed.

"Yes." Regina answered. "I think you would've figured out by now that I don't want to talk to you and have no intention of doing so. You apologized, no one accepted it, I'm moving on." She turned back to Snow. "Most of the people in this town are still your people. You need to either step up and be their leaders and work with us on this or talk to them and tell them that we're not here to imprison them or whatever crap Leroy was talking about. We could, but it would be easier if they cooperated. Especially since it would only help them."

"I understand." Snow said quietly.

Regina looked over at Emma. "Will you give us a minute alone?"

Emma fought the urge to say no. Henry headed upstairs to his room and she limped into her room, but she kept the door cracked so she could peek back out. It surprised her to see Snow crying.

"I really did try. The first few years, I swear, I tried everything." Snow said.

"I know." Regina whispered.

"Then, I just...there wasn't anything I could do short of throwing her out and I could never… I don't know what to do. I can't help someone who doesn't want it. Archie visits, but it doesn't help."

"Doesn't mean you stop. Especially since we're back for now. If she tries anything again, Mal will kill her. Of that I have no doubt and I will have no say. Do you understand?"

"We do." Snow whispered.

"Good." Regina rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "You won't see me for a while, but we should be back shortly."

"What? You just said you're going to be staying here and now you're leaving?"

"We will be back. We're not done. Good evening, Charmings." The queen teleported away in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving Emma's parents in the living room alone.

Regina returned home and couldn't help grinning at the sight of Mel gliding across the living room in her dragon form. Roland was still in the form of a baby T-Rex, sitting on the couch and watching tv. Meanwhile, Sarai and Jade were on the floor, still in their beast forms as well, watching tv. "Are we ever going to get our human children back?"

"Nope!" Melisandre called, balancing precariously on the back on the couch. "It's so much fun to be a dragon. Lily said she would take us on a hike tomorrow and teach us how to climb and breathe fire!"

"Mom said she would take me Running on the next full moon." Sarai brushed against Regina's leg and she bent down to pick up her four legged granddaughter. "It's going to be amazing!"

"I bet it will. Have you eaten?"

"Yep." Roland leaned back and patted his belly with his tiny arms. "Ruby and Belle got Italian food for us."

"You have another couple hours before you need to get ready for bed. As humans."

"Yes, ma'am."

Regina placed Sarai on the couch next to Roland and went upstairs to find her wife. She walked into the master bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks. The light had been dimmed considerably and it caused Regina to frown a little. "Mal? Baby?" The door to the adjoining bathroom opened and Regina's heart nearly stopped when Maleficent walked out of it. The dragon was clad only in black lingerie that hid absolutely nothing. She glistened, like she'd rubbed herself down with oil. Regina licked her lips hungrily.

"You called?" Mal asked, her eyes already dark with lust.

"Oh no." Regina turned around and ran out of the room. "No, no, no."

"Regina? Is everything okay?" Ruby asked, walking out of her and Lily's bedroom.

"She's wearing lingerie and oil!" Regina yelled, racing down the stairs.

Ruby looked back at the master bedroom as Mal stepped out in a black robe. "Couldn't get her?"

"No, but I will." Her friend smirked. "Regina can't resist me."

Regina paced the back patio in a fit, trying desperately not to think about Mal. She couldn't. Not after seeing her in that. She bought new lingerie too… "Fuck me."

"I would have done that if you hadn't left the bedroom." Mal smirked as she appeared next to her wife.

"Then you would win." Regina replied. As strong as she thought herself to be, she was a weak woman when it came to Mal. That was a word she didn't throw around lightly, but it was the truth. Back in the day, she would've killed anyone who used her name and the word weak in a single sentence. Mal...was something else. She could command Regina to do anything if she truly wanted to, and Regina would obey.

"Is that not the point of the game?" Mal asked. "Have I made you uncomfortable?"

"Of course not. You know I love your attention, it was just unexpected."

"So you say." Mal smirked, kissing her forehead. "If it displeases you so much, I will not enact my master plan tonight."

"Master plan? You think it's going to take one night to get me to break?"

"I can prove it to you." Mal challenged. With a wave of her hand they were back in the bedroom. Mal removed her robe and hung it up on the rack. "Remove your clothes."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Regina arched an eyebrow, debating whether to obey, although she already knew she wanted to. "Mal, this isn't fair."

"Remove your clothes." The dragon commanded again. She kept her voice gentle and her tone polite, but there was no mistaking her intent.

"I don't want to."

"Then don't." Mal purred, walking around her, stalking her, testing her. Regina swallowed harshly, gasping when Mal took her by the chin and kissed her. She was powerless to the dragon's every whim and desire, but...she was not going to lose this bet.

"Stop or I'll turn into a dragon." She threatened. Mal froze and met her eyes. "I'm serious. You know that's a game ender." She watched Mal's eyes turn black, then bright gold.

"And if I were to slam you on the bed right now...What would you do?"

Regina gulped, drowning in the hot golden gaze of her wife. "Mal…"

"Hmm?" The dragon purred.

"Fuck this bet." Regina growled, pulling the blonde closer and attacking her lips hungrily. She was all set to rip Mal's clothes off right then and take her, when the door flew open and she quickly slipped under Mal to the balcony, composing herself as fast as she could. It was like a spell had been broken and she made her way into the bathroom for a cold shower.

"Goddamnit, Lily." Maleficent hissed.

"What? I was just bringing you the reports you asked for." Her daughter said innocently.

"I almost had her." Maleficent growled. "Another minute and I would've won the bet."

"Oops." Lily smirked, handing her a stack of papers. "We're all set to go. How long is this going to take again?"

"Not too long hopefully." She looked down at the documents, reading through the list of things that needed to be fixed in town. "This is quite a bit."

"Doesn't include the forest Emma destroyed when she kept blowing shit up so the Merry Men couldn't hunt. Dwarf tunnels collapsed too."

"That'll require a bit more magic." Maleficent said.

"We'll get as much done as we can while we're here."

"I know. Get some rest." She put away the notes as Lily made her departure. Maleficent had no chance to react when the lights went out. The fireplace did the same, dousing the room in an impenetrable blackness and she felt herself being pushed into a soft chair. The curtains to the balcony opened on their own accord. A blink later and Regina appeared in her lap, illuminated only by the moonlight shining in through the balcony doors.

"You told me to remove my clothes." Regina said, her voice deep and dark with want. "So I did. What's my reward?"

Mal gulped and chanced a look down. Regina was indeed naked. She looked down at Maleficent, a quirk in her eyebrow and the corner of those luscious lips of hers slightly curled. "You think you should be rewarded?"

"Come on, Mal." Regina smirked, her voice low and enticing. "Is this bet really that important to you? You would say no to me over some jewelry that I will just give you anyway? You want me, take me."

Mal growled softly, her eyes never leaving Regina's. Her scent was intoxicating and nearly enough to make her mouth water. She could feel Regina's heart pounding in her chest. Hers was no better. By the gods, she was irresistible. "No."

"You sure?" Regina leaned forward, pressing hot kisses to her throat. She touched Mal's forehead and memories of their night in the forest attacked her. Regina in her dragon form was enough to make her come undone, but all of a sudden she could smell her mate's arousal, taste her sweetness on her tongue, hear her moaning from the night of their mating. It was almost too much. "Please, Mal. Take me. I'm yours, just take me. This bet isn't that important. You don't care about it that much. Besides, even if you lose the bet, are you really losing when you can ravish me?" That was a good point. "And…" Regina pressed, sliding two fingers under the blonde's chin to tilt her head back so their eyes could meet. "Just think of our children."

Mal frowned slightly in confusion. "What does Lily and Mel have to do with this?"

"Not them, dear. Our future children that we should be making. That we **could** be making at this exact moment. How does a clutch of dragonlings sound? Three, maybe six." She purred. "All you have to do is-" Regina yelped when she found herself on her back on the bed in the blink of an eye. She gulped when Mal leaned over her and kissed her like she never would again. When she leaned back, she smiled wickedly.

"You're absolutely right. We'll certainly need to mate again. We should postpone our trip and lock ourselves in our room to see it done." She leaned forward to slowly kiss Regina again. "We must mate many, many times." She touched Regina's forehead and she was bombarded with all of the times they'd had sex, every point they'd earned in their little game. Every single one. Skinny dipping in the lake, using their marks in public places, the time Regina went Lady Godiva on the forest trails while Mal flew above her, the many times Regina would rush home from work just get between Mal's legs, not to mention everything they had done over the last decade. They'd really done too much.

Mal moved back, smirking at seeing Regina's eyes black with lust, the scent of her arousal so heavy it was almost suffocating. "I'm going for a flight and I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." She used magic to remove Regina's scent as she slipped onto the balcony and threw herself over the edge, changing forms mid air. The night air felt good on her scales and erased Regina's scent from her nose. That woman was going to be the death of her. She amazed herself at not bending to Regina's will in seconds. She felt pleased at her actions and it took her a few moments to notice something large and dark moving through the trees below her. It was like a shadow, moving quickly but a bit clumsily because she could see the large path it left as it made its way through the forest. Mal began to descend and it slammed into the lake, diving below the surface before she could land. She landed quietly on the banks of the lake and took a sniff of the area. "Oh no."

A serpentine head poked out of the water. "Easy flight?"

"Regina, what the hell are you doing?"

"Since my wife wouldn't have sex with me, I thought a cold swim would be good to...take the edge off."

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Regina climbed out of the lake, water dripping off her glistening scales and Mal spun around, closing her eyes. She heard Regina giggle and come close to her, rubbing herself against Mal and twining their tails together. Her touch was magnified, sending waves of heat through the dragon's body.

"Regina, I swear…"

"Swear what?" Regina purred and became more aggressive in her nuzzling, determined to get Mal to break. She purred and cooed and practically climbed under Mal, making her wife rear back. She was sweating. Regina was so...submissive, so irresistible. "Come on, Mal, baby- Aaaah!" Maleficent pushed her wife into the lake and took flight, putting as much distance between her and her beloved as possible. Her wings were shaky and she couldn't stop panting. She wouldn't make it far flying like this, but it was far enough away that she knew Regina couldn't follow so easily. She landed near a small pond and splashed herself with water, trying once again to remove Regina's scent from her scales. She even went as far as to rub her nose in a patch of flowers. It took another hour for Regina to catch up to her. The woman was relentless. "Truce." Regina called, walking out of the bushes in human form.

Maleficent was unconvinced and stood a step back. She let out a thunderous roar and blasted smoke and fire into the sky so high they licked the stars. Regina licked her lips, her eyes darkening once again at the dragon's display of power.

"Stop that! Truce." Regina said, crossing her arms.

Mal glared at her and shifted back into human form as well. "Are you done then?"

Regina laughed softly. "I could've won. Face it. You can't resist me."

"You want me to get naked?"

"No! Don't do that. I mean I do, but I also want to win."

Mal rolled her eyes. "So we have a truce for the rest of the night?"

"Yes. I can't keep chasing you and…" Regina cleared her throat, looking down. "I don't like to sleep without you."

Mal smirked and silently conceded that she didn't like to sleep without her mate either. "Fine, but no tricks."

"You have my word." Mal walked forward and Regina came to her side as they started walking home, both too worked up to go to sleep right now. "By the way, I am impressed that you managed to ignore me being a dragon."

"Thank you. You running out of the room yelling about lingerie and oil was fantastic."

"You know oil gives you an unfair advantage after the last game we played." Regina snapped.

"No, you only said that after you cheated by wearing the red suit, which we both agreed was off limits."

"No, you said that-"

The pair would argue the rest of the way home, but Mal would really have it no other way. She didn't even care and she would have it no other way...unless they were naked and arguing.

The next day, she and her wife ignored each other entirely, lest they have a repeat of the night before. While Regina took the kids to her vault to show them around, she and the rest of the queens began more reparations. Lily and Zelena started on the town, Belle went to the mayor's office to help Tink, and Mal and Ruby began to fix the forest, restoring patches of charred and decayed vegetation from Emma's explosives.

"You talked to the old bitch yet?" Mal asked, healing a blackened ree.

"No." Ruby smirked. "She called and I've decided to see her later on today. I'm not looking forward to it. You fucked Regina yet?"

"No. If it wasn't for your wife, I would have last night." Ruby snorted with laughter while they walked, her voice ringing through the empty forest. "I wouldn't be surprised if she timed that shit." Ruby started laughing again and Mal rolled her eyes, smirking at her amused daughter in law.

Ruby took a deep breath, wiping the corners of her eyes. "Well, the bet was your idea. Don't you know you can just call it off?"

"It's more than that, dear." Mal replied. "Regina thinks I'll just do whatever she wants."

"You will."

"That just because she takes her clothes off, I'll fall to my knees to worship her."

"You would."

"Ruby, whose side are you on?"

Ruby snorted again. "The one that gets me my thousand bucks."

"I'm sure you have that in your sock drawer." Mal scoffed, motioning to a thick branch on the ground. Ruby bent to pick it up, holding it over her head so Mal could reattach it to a tree with magic.

"I do, but I want Zelena's money." The she-wolf was quiet for a while as they worked, repairing and restoring a good section of forest before they took a break. "Why are we doing this, Mal?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could be going after your parents right now. Why are we wasting our time reforming a town that we're not even going to be staying in? Hell, if it's about our friends, you can just buy a luxury condo or something for them. We all know you don't care about money that much. You know the idiots are still going to give us hell for trying to help them. Why bother?"

"Several reasons." Mal answered, gesturing to the woods around them. "This is disgusting. Banning the Merry Men from town was one thing and hardly unexpected, but constantly blowing up and setting fire to the forest is another. Destroying pieces of the town, making everyone else miserable. Why should the rest of the world suffer because Emma Swan was upset?"

Ruby arched an eyebrow, watching Mal bend down to send healing energy through the dirt, breathing new life into the charred grass and dead trees ahead. "It's true then. You are like some nature fairy."

"Excuse me? Did you just call me a fairy?" Mal stood back up. "I take care of the forest because it takes care of me. I can't hunt without it. My prey can't survive without it. It infuriates me that she would take her anger out on something that can't fight back."

"Nature couldn't, but the town could've." Ruby replied. "They were so quick to condemn Regina whenever she did anything wrong in their eyes, but Emma torched a mile of forest because she was mad at Robin. They didn't do shit about it."

"Don't think about it too much, dear. You'll go crazy." Mal sighed.

"I'm not the crazy one."

Mal patted her shoulder. "Worry not, we're almost done. Once we are, our friends can make their decisions about what they want to do, we will go get my parents and go on a vacation. I think we deserve one."

"I agree. But you're not telling me something." Ruby narrowed her eyes at the dragon, but Maleficent only smirked in reply.

"Come on. We should finish this today and then you can have fun talking to your bitch of a grandmother."

Ruby smirked and followed after her. It took another hour to finish repairing the forest. Instead of fixing the dwarf tunnels, Mal used magic to level the ground, ensuring that there would be no more cave ins and the area was safe to walk on. She made grass and flowers grow around it and tall trees sprouted up at a command to root the loose earth in place. Ruby did a quick sweep of the area and made sure there wasn't anything they missed. Once they were clear, Mal took off to head to the mayor's office and Ruby made her way to Granny's cottage, her home away from the diner and B&B, neither of which Ruby wanted to go to. She wasn't sure if she ever wanted to step foot in either establishment again.

Granny seemed upset when she saw that Ruby had come alone. "Hello, Pup."

"Hi, Granny."

Granny motioned for her to come in and she did. Nothing had changed in the decade she'd been gone. The cottage was still quaint and rustic, hardly more than the little house she was raised in. When Regina had designed their houses for the curse, she had actually given Granny a decently furnished house and Ruby had augmented it over the years with her salary from the diner. She might as well have given her paycheck back to her grandmother on some occasions.

"How've you been?" Granny asked, gesturing for her to sit on the horrid brown couch that she could never persuade her grandmother to get rid of.

Ruby sat down on the edge of it and shrugged. "Happy." She answered.

"Where's the little one?"

"Home with her mother, probably running around with the other children."

Granny's eyes hardened and even though she appeared to be relaxing in her rocking chair, her grip on the arm started to tighten. "And you didn't bring her to see me?"

"Why would I do that?" Ruby asked.

"We're really going to do this?" Granny sighed. "Ten years I don't hear from you even once. I have a great-granddaughter that I know nothing about. You don't think I should be a little upset?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Cut the chaste act, Granny. After the way you insulted Lily before we left, you really think I would bring my half dragon daughter to see you? That should be a no brainer." She stood up again, her anger rising at the mere thought of that day. "If that's all you wanted to talk about-"

"It's not. Sit down."

"I don't think so. I'm not a child anymore. You stopped being able to tell me what to do a long time ago." Ruby growled. She could see Granny grinding her teeth. She abruptly stood up as well.

"What I said that day-"

"You meant every word and since you're always right, we both know you won't take them back. Your attitude to finding out about me and Lily and the fact that you nearly ripped out my throat when I asked about my family history are exactly why you have not met my daughter and why you never will. I don't give a damn what you've done for me. I don't give a damn that you raised me." She felt her wolf beneath her skin, snarling in the back of her mind. Her eyes glowed bright gold, matching the fire in Granny's eyes. "Believe me, I'm grateful for it, but I wasn't going to just let you disrespect my mate and her mother."

"So you run away for ten years?" Granny asked.

"I didn't run anywhere. I left because Emma and Robin were targeting my family, one of which you still support. She's not a fucking savior, she's crazy. She should be locked up too and instead, you all still treat her like she's some puppy that needs to be sheltered from the world."

"You don't abandon family." Granny said firmly.

"I didn't." Ruby replied. "They're at the mansion across town with my daughter." She made for the door. "Don't even know why I came."

"You came because you're tired of fighting." Granny rushed to the door and put her hand on it, stopping Ruby from opening it fully. "I know you are. We're a pack. We've been a pack the moment you were born, the moment Anita brought you to my doorstep."

"And we stopped about ten years ago when you refused to accept anyone else in that pack. You didn't even apologize." Ruby said. "That's fine though. You don't have to like them, Granny and you don't have to accept them. They don't give a damn and neither do I."

"Red- Ruby." Granny growled to herself. "Please. Allow me to apologize then."

Ruby scoffed, fighting back a laugh. "They don't give a damn about your apology and again, neither do I." She wasn't sure what she expected by seeing her grandmother again, but this wasn't it. She expected something more. Not unexpectedly, all they could do was argue about past wrongs.

"Just tell me her name. Tell me about her. Please." Granny pleaded.

Ruby let out a sigh and opened the door. "Her name is Sarai. She's just like Lily." She left the cottage behind her and shifted into wolf form to make her way home. She hadn't even done much, but she felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than Lily's comforting embrace. Arriving at the house, she found the kids arguing about some game they were playing while a purring Lily watched over them in her dragon form, laying on her side and soaking up the sun. Ruby walked over and laid her head on Lily's paw, listening to the kids bicker. All four were still in their little beast forms and were standing at a white line sprayed on the grass

"You used your wings, Mel. That's against the rules!" Sarai said.

"I did not! I'm just that good."

"Liar."

"I am not!"

Meanwhile, Roland and Jade were completely ignoring the pair of bickering girls and were continuing the game, which seemed to involve seeing how far one could jump from a starting line.

"Enough, you two." Lily called, putting a halt to the fight. She turned her head to the side, looking at her wife. "What happened with you and Granny?"

"Nothing much. Same thing that happened before we left. She wants to meet Sarai, but we already knew that. She also wants to apologize to you but I told her that you wouldn't care about it."

"Of course I do." Lily said. Ruby couldn't hide the surprise on her face. "Widow Lucas doesn't like to be wrong, you can bet your ass I'm gonna rub it in her face when she is." Ruby rolled her eyes while Lily let out a soft purr meant only for her. "Don't worry about it, babe. Granny, just like everyone else who stayed here and supported the crazies made their beds. You don't owe her anything and you shouldn't feel bad because she's upset about her own decisions."

"I know." Ruby licked her mate's paw and laid down next to her to watch the children play.

"You stepped over the line, Rai!" Mel yelled.

"I did not!"

"Just start again." Jade said.

Mel and Sarai exchanged looks before both grew mischievous grins. The next thing Ruby knew Jade and Roland took off, screeching at the tops of their lungs as Mel and Sarai chased them around the yard. Ruby chuckled to herself and watched the kids have fun, thoughts of Granny moving to the furthest reaches of her mind. She knew it wasn't over, but for now, she returned her focus to her family.

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